Crate DX212

USA made. 1998. Tons of actually usable amp models. Crate made the initial wave in the modeling amp craze. The DX212 is superior to any of the Line 6 combos. The phase is the only outstanding cheesy effect. It's just plain thin. The floorboard makes programming and switching a silent joy. Nano-quick reaction between styles. I use mine for open stages and home recording. I own a Line 6 Spider 212, I like some things about it but the delay in amp models and effects is just plain terrible. The Crate is awesome in that department.

DUMP THE STOCK SPEAKERS! They're terrible. I guess Crate put cheap speakers in to meet a price point. I loaded mine up with two Patriot speakers and boy did it change the sound from good to excellent. If you're stuck with the stock speakers, they're not terrible but you'll notice the amp has limits. Adding better speakers pushes this rating up to a 10... and pushed the amp volume up too.

Absolutely gig proof and friend proof. Mine is the community jam amp at every Friday nite jam. Even the 20somethings like the metal crunch.

Crate has always been helpful.

It's a solid/affordable amp for the price. Classic physical style and a variety of sounds. Most you'll never use but they're there if you need them. Soon to be a collectible for sure. Not many of these around.

Lots of models to play with and effects. The delay has only 1 controll and its hard to loose the repeats and just make it sound bigger. If you like repeats its fun. Same for the other effects, only one knob to adjust them. The reverb has 2 knobs and it is a great sounding reverb. Besides the master vol. it has gain and channel volumes. Some of the features are not to usable.

Here is were this amp shines and sucks. Forget all the modeling or any distrotion this amp has.! Fun for a minute then its all junk. But wait, clean this amp is great!! It has a wonderful crunchy sound that you can add some of the effects to get a beautiful sound. I'm using a strat and it likes this sound. I'm using slight delay and moderate reverb and my strat sounds like it should. Now for the fix. I use a compression pedal/distortion/and an EQ in front of the amp. Boss pedals seem to love solid state amps. I get a pretty gritty sound for leads for not to much $$. Great in the practice room and you can add another amp/delay pedal and go huge, when needed.
If your a purist and have to have tube break up, perfect tone, this will be a dissapointment. For many though, this is a great setup.

I got this used, really used, but not thrashed. Everything works everytime. Gig with it no worries. Only a 9 because I've only had it a year.

N/A

I have many amps, including a Fender Blues Deville w/4 10's. I have modded many of my pedals and have gone through a couple of multi-fx's.
I think you can spend a lot of money on sound and if you need to play many styles you should. I'm in a rock band and distortion, chorus and clean sounds work for me. I'm still looking for that sweet dirty sound we all are. This is my first Crate and I would check some of the other models before buying this one again, but, This is a good amp and would be missed if lost. I'm never selling it! Its a keeper.

This thing is loaded with features. Amp modeling, effects, 2 12" speakers, high and low gain inputs, effects loop and stereo out just name the most important.

Ok here is why everybody comes to Harmony-central. There are some very usable sounds coming out of this amp. I would even gig with it if I had to. The clean sounds aren't bad but obviously fails compared to a Twin Reverb. The best driven tube sounds come from the Fender amp models and the Crate models. The acoustic model is just a low powered clean channel no presence or anything. The high gain and fuzz channels are best for the bed room but too noisy for anything else. The effects are fine although they lack controls other than an effects level knob. The reverb is really good right on par with a Fender amp which is to say I like it better than a Marshall's. The Marshall tones are usable but sound nothing like a Marshall. I have had Marshalls and Fender Twin Reverbs, believe me these cannot be replicated electronically. You can get close enough to get by with though. I am using a Les Paul and a Strat with this amp. This now my new rehearsal amp. Of course thats with it set at high power and cranked with a tone labs le in front of it. To me if you have to use effects pedals to get good enough tones to use on stage I take 2 points off here. Also because it lacks an awesome overdriven tube sound I have to take a point off for that.

This amp is old and still working with no scratchy pots or hums. I'd say its earned its mark here.

Never dealt with them, thank god.

If it where lost or stolen I would buy another one if I came across it at the right price. I doubt I would go looking for one though. Its not a tube amp which is both good and bad. I am a tube amp lover from way back and generally don't like solid state for anything other than a practice amp. However being solid state makes it very reliable and works great with any multi effects pedal. Since it has a very sterile dry tone when you take away the amp modeling, effects and reverb. Compared to a Fender amp it lacks character and compared to a Marshall it lacks the 'growl' and compared to a Vox it lacks warmth. It is what it is and that is fairly decent amp modeling amp at a low cost that is loud enough to gig with clean. One more thing that has to be said, this thing is really ugly looking.

16 amp models, 16 effects configurations plus independent reverb. Master volume, channel level, gain and three band EQ. 120 programmable presets but only ten of them are accessable from the front pannel. You need a MIDI foot controller to access the rest. The Crate foot controller gets it's power through the MIDI cable but it is conmpatible with generic MIDI conreollers with a seperate power source. The selection is switchable on the back pannel. headphone jack, stereo send and return MIDI in and thru. No output for an external cabinet

I have a small arsenal of guitars including a Fender Strat and a Tele, Charvelle Surfcaster, BC Rich Platinum ST III with EMG 81 and 82 pickups, and a BC Rich NJ Assassin with Semore Duncan Quarter Pounders and an SH4. I play a variety of styles from jazz to electric blues to classic and modern rock to straight up metal.

The cleaner sounds it does spectacularly but add the distirtion sounds and there is a lot of niose there that shouldn't be. Even with a noise gate and a slow release time, there is a noticeable hiss. There is a wide veriety of sounds available but they are all lacking something. There just isn't a backbone to the tones. This may be due to the lack of a prescence control, but at 30W per side, this amp is not really loud enough to do full duty service as a rehearsal/performance amp. By itself it can sound great at times but easily gets lost in a full band setting. The noise on the distortions and lack of prescence really relegate this amp to practice status only like most other Crate products.

What can I say? I bought the thing in inoperable condition but took it to the shop and had all the caps replaces and have had no trouble with it since. The construction is sturdy and the unit is HEAVY weighing in at over 65 lb. shipping weight.

Bottom line: it DID break down but the causes are unknown to me.

I never dealt with Crate CS.

I have been playing for over 30 years. In that time I have owned many different amps ranging from Marshalls to Fenders to Ampegs to other crates. This is far and away the MOST versatile amp I have ever played. Sadly, it is also one of the noisiest and terribly underpowered I ahve ever dealt with. It will not hold its's own in a rehearsal or performance setting unless you plan to go direct but even then it is so noisy that it isn't worth it.

If it ever got stolen I would get something else noty only becaue they are disconhtinued, but becaue there is jsut so much more out there that is better for the same money.

*The price paid is with the footswitch.* The only thing I would have liked to see would be a usb connection for easier use with a pc.Other than that I don't know what else your ask for.Without the footswitch I would give this catagory a 6. its that important it give you 128 prograble presets and lets you add a pasive volume peddel to control gain,level,effect adjust,reverb level,and depth. It's really cool.

Properly adjusted It will produce just about any tone for clasical to country to metal.I mainly play quiet as if there were other people living here,but when the wife and kids are gone the neighbors will just have to shut their windows.I sounds great loud and down low.

The amp is perfect no issues in four years. The only problem occured with the foot switch I broke the midi connector loose from the circuit board totaly my fault, I'm handy with a soldering pen so it was fixed in 20 minuets.

This amp does not appear to be very well suported online anymore but that is to be expected on a model this old. But I've never tried to call crate.

Fantastic value for me $450 with the footswitch new.I don't know why it was so cheap.It suits my needs perfectly I've heard line6 makes a better modaling amp but I haven't compared them.I've been playing for 30 somthing years and I think my grandkids (not born yet) will jam with this amp.

Made in '99...Yes, very versitle amp... The Jack of all trades is the master of none, but worthwhile nevertheless... Play a mixture of rock, jazz, classical, etc...Two channels with channel switching..Yes the pedal is too expensive (although it would add a great deal of expansion to the setup...Not too much of a problem for me being that I use an external distortion box anyway when playing live and I setup my sound thoughtfully when recording... Very powerful and great sound...

Use a '86 Les Paul studio guitar with it... Suits my musical style well as I partly fashioned my style around my gear... Kinda noisy at high volumes and the noise gate is too noticable at high volumes... Variety of sounds including clean, vintage, and heavy... Very usable through the headphone out jack as a recording amp... Just listen through your interface, adjust, and record....The clean channel has a nice overdrive at high volumes depeding on how you set up the channel volume, gain, and master volume combination... (This is a very important concept with this amp, very intuitive though once you get your hands on it.)

Been a very reliable amp for me and I would be quite sad if something happened to it... Would possibly replace it if lost or stolen... Blah blah blah... Can't wait to get it back from storage at my dads after he moves... Also can't wait to do the chip upgrade that comes free from crate when they find out that you don't already have it upgraded... Handle did fall off, so mine's never had the handle...So I'll give it a nine...

Crate didn't make me wait long on the phone, and they didn't mess around in getting me the upgrade chip... Not too much of an opinion here, so I'll give them a 7!

Been playing it for about 3 years now and I still love it... Miss it nearly everyday as I have nothing to play through except a crappy boss recorder... I think I'm done with this review...

I have 2 of the DX 212 amps. One for practice room, 1 at home and until recently I took both of them for gigs. This is a great studio amp! However, live applications are more difficult. The answer is to have a closed backed cabinet!! I disconnected one of the carte 12" speakes and jumped the wire to a recently used Marshall 412 avt slant. This really helped especially on the clean channel settings. Having the 1 Crate 12" pumping a little louder as it is cleaner and crisper than the Marshall and the 4 12 splitting 50 Watts rms has more bottom.

When using the amp live by itself it lost the claen channels and the overdrives were out of balance and lost their tone characteristics. We have everal live videos and the mix is great when using 2 DX 212 amps or 1 and a 412 closed back.

I use primarily Dean guitars but I do have a Schecter with DD P100's and a flying V with a Duncan JB bridge and a Jazz neck. The trick is to not turn the volume control on the guitars over 6, especially on import guitars, to keep the tonal charcteristics accurate umless we are doing some Metallica or Alice in Chains where I need to pile it on. This amp does lack a strong dark overdrive tone but it is a vintage model amp. Use a celan channel with a good boss distorion pedal and it does great. I could sell this amp every night we play because I have spent time dialing it in to fit my guitars and other players have approached on break to ask questions. This is a real gem that is underated.

Both of my amps and 1 of the pedals (DXJFC) have needed to be resoldered. This is typical for Crates and many other brands so I do bring along a GFX 65 crate if we are playing out of town. I have never had the amps fail at a gig and I bought them both used and they are on 8 - 12 hours per week so I am not going to complain.

Crate has great customer service!!

I chose this one of the line 6 amps because the crate is inexpensive as a used amp and the LIne 6 controller pedals were poorly constructed. I am always looking for another DX 212 or a DX 100 as these amps deliver what I want and my sound has never been better. They are not real powerful but the tone is amazing!!

easy to program bought 2 years ago

some nice rhythm sounds 2or 3 notes together ok. solo notes sound not as good but i fugured out how to fix that so better read on if you own this amp. First off thanks to previous reviewer who said tht he owns an art ecc i use it as midi footswitch cause my amp did not come with one it was optional.
HERES THE FIX IM NOT GONNA GO IN DETAIL. ANYWAY I TRIED LOTS OF OVERDRIVE BOXES AND DIST. BOXES THEY SOUNDED WORSE AND COULD HERE MY PICKING THAT SUCKED. INSTEAD I STUCK APILLOW IN THE BACK OF THE AMP YEAH A AN OLD CHEAP PILLOW.I WASNT GONNA STICK MY SWEDISH PILLOW IN IT.ANYWAY SOUNDS WAY FRIGGIN BETTER AND YOU CAN SOLO AND NOT FEEL LIKE SOMETHINGS HOLDING YOU BACK. ITS A 5 WITHOUT PILLOW WITH PILLOW A 7.BUT I OWN REAL MARSHALLS AND FENDERS . I LIKE YOU CAN PLAY AT REAL LOW VOLUME LIKE A TV AND IT SOUNDS MASSIVE AND AT AT DECENT VOLUMES ITS EASY ON THE EARS .IM OLDER NOW AND IVE LOST MY MAD VOLUME DAYS HAVE FAMILY AND PREFER SMALL AMPS. MY NEXT AMP WIL BE TINY TUBE MY FENDER CHAMP IS BROKEN AND WIL FIX AND OR REPLACE.
SOME OF THE RHYTHM SOUNDS SOUND MUCH BETTER THAN MY POD 1.0 BUT WITHOUT PILLOW THE PODS SOLO GUITAR SOUND WAS BETTER. NOW WITH PILLOW THE CRATE SOUNDS BETTER. I THINK DIGITAL WILL GET BETTER BUT IM STILL A TUBE SNOB. SO IM RATING THIS A 7 AS COMPARED TO DIGITAL .

SEEMS A OK

dont know need upgrade probaly

TRIED FLEXTONE 3 AND IT SEEMED NICE REVIEWS SAID IT WASNT RELIABLE LOST THAT SALE

They're all below. This is an update to my previous review.

I've since sold the amp and I can say a few more-intelligent things about this. I've found heaven with the PodXT - it adds the stuff I had to "rig" with the Crate, including individual stompbox-style on/off for effects within the same patch using the footcontroller.

I was pleased at the resale value that this thing held. I had it for almost four years and sold it back to Guitar Center for like $300. Not too bad, very few things hold their value that well for that long, so I guess people are buying them.

Another update. After overcoming my initial disappointment with this thing, I found that it really couldn't hold up in loud/live situations. I'm used to amps with a "Presence" control (which I always set to 10) and this thing just always sounded muddy to me, it never really had enough high-end punch and bite. That's really just a matter of personal preference...but I got to the point where I was running screaming into the arms of a Marshall MG100 head.

It was reliable other than the footswitch issues I mentioned below.

I've reversed myself on this one. If you are interested in modeling technology, shop the Line 6 gear. If you're after the modern high-gain sounds you'll have to lay down and get the Vetta (because it has more of those models) or maybe the HD 147 (? I don't know what it has). But the Flextone and POD lines are some pretty good stuff for the money especially, and even the Spyder if you're looking to cheap.

Bottom line - I think Crate made an early foray into the modeling arena with this amp but they've been getting smoked ever since.

This is basically another digital modeling amp that models other amplifiers in software. There are plenty of other reviews here with the details. The amp is very usable, but editing presets using the knobs can be a pain because you have to find the "virtual" position of the knob for the current program before you can change anything. This doesn't let you do a quick touch to just add a little more high or mid. You end up twisting the knob around and finding your sound again. Other than that, it's very usable.

I use a Peavey Generation servies with active pickups that supply a lot of high end. The sounds are decent and reasonable clones of the amps that are modeled, but they're missing that special "something" that makes them dead on replicas. Pretty good overall, but not as close as say a Line 6.

I use the amp at church (it actually belongs to the minister). It always turns on and despite being stored in less than ideal conditions (hot/cold buildings etc) it has always performed well.

Never had to.

If you can get a good price this is a fine amp, but the street price is a little high for what you get.

Its a 2001 amp. It is used to emulate 16 different amps, has 16 effects. It has headphone jacks and all that crap! I use this as a practise amp but it has enough power to jam.

I am using a Washburn X-50 with duncan seymour humbuckers. This amp can make a whole bunch of different sounds (the possibilities are endless with this amp! I have done so many all nighters because i am amazed at what this thing can do and cant stop playing with it!)

These things are dependable!!(I have never spoken more truer words!!) I dont gig with this but if i did i wouldnt need a backup, i play the sh!t outta this thing and its like the energizer bunny!

Crate is very friendly with there customers, if you have questions they will do their best to answer them. This thing comes with a warranty, but i dont think its breaking down within the next 10 years.

i have been playing for a few years. If it were stolen or lost i wouldnt buy this again, only because i would buy a BIGGER one (hey, who doesnt want a louder amp?) I love the versatility of it, the only thing i dislike about it is that you have to get used to the amp and know how to work it (Word of wisdom: read the instruction manual, those things are actually there to help you!)

I MADE THE MISTAKE OF STOPPING INTO A MUSIC STORE WITH A FRIEND TO LOOK AT GUITARS. I PLUGGED INTO THIS CRATE AMP,AND TOOK IT HOME WITH ME. I THEN SOLD MY FENDER SUPER REVERB THAT I HAD FOR 18 YEARS. AFTER ALMOST 3 YEARS ,I AM STILL LEARNING JUST HOW MANY TOTALLY DIFFERENT SOUNDS I CAN GET OUT OF THIS AMP. EACH GUITAR TOTALLY CHANGES THE SOUNDS.

I LIKE HOT/DISTORTION,READY TO FEEDBACK SOUND,WITH CHORUS,FLANGER,DELAY,MAYBE ECHO,WHATEVER. BUT I LOVE THAT WHENEVER I FIND A SOUND,I CAN SAVE IT LIKE SAVING A RADIO STATION IN THE CAR,JUST PUSH A BUTTON. I LOVED THE NAME FENDER,AND HAVE USED FENDER AMPS MOSTLY,TILL NOW. I DONT PLAY OUT ANYMORE,AND THE HEADPHONE FEATURE LETS ME GET INTO IT,BECAUSE I KNOW MY NEIGHBORS ARENT FORMING A LYNCH MOB WHEN I PLAY(THEY USE TO) I DONT KNOW ABOUT THE CLEAN CHANNEL,BECAUSE I DONT DO CLEAN.I WANT TO MAKE NOISE,AND THIS AMP MAKES A LOT OF THE NOISES THAT I LOVE,AND MORE THIS AMP IS SO VERSATILE,I STILL HAVENT HIT BOTTOM

I HAD A NOISY SPEAKER, TOOK IT BACK, THEY POPPED IN A NEW ONE,NO PROBLEM,AND NO CHARGE. THERE WAS A CHIP/UPGRADE FREE FROM CRATE,I INSTALLED IT,AND THE AMP IS CRISPER,AND THE REVERB HAS CHANGED FOR THE BETTER. I THINK THE CHIP ALSO MADE THE 128 PRESET MIDI CONTROLLER WORK ALSO(MY AMP IS ONE OF THE 1ST,THERE WERE NO FOOT CONTROLLERS AVALABLE WHEN I BOUGHT MY AMP. I HAVE A CONTROLLER NOW

I CALLED ABOUT A CHIP UPGRADE,AND THEY SENT IT OUT TO ME,AND I HAD IT IN 3 DAYS. I DONT KNOW WHAT ALL THE CHIP DOES,IM STILL LEARNING THE AMP(ITS ONLY BEEN 3 YEARS)

BEEN PLAYING SINCE THE BEATLES STARTED(MY INSPIRATION ACTUALLY) STILL HAVE THE 63 GIBSON ES330 TDC I GOT NEW,AND THE 59 FENDER JAZZMASTER I GOT IN 67 USED FOR $100.IN A PAWN SHOP. I ALSO HAVE 2 NEWER STRATS,AN IBANEZ AM-50, A(FANTASTIC) YAMAHA AES 800,AND THE MOST VERSATILE GUITAR I EVER EVEN SAW, AN EPIPHONE 3 PICKUP NIGHTHAWK. I USE A ROLAND GR-1 AND A YAMAHA DG STOMP WITH EXPRESSION PEDAL. THERE IS NO WAY IN THE WORLD I WILL EVER FIGURE OUT ALL THE COMBINATIONS OF SOUNDS USING THE PREAMP WITH THE CRATE DX AMP,NO WAY I LOOKED AT OTHER AMPS AT THE TIME(JOHNSON AND LINE 6) THE LINE 6 WAS EASIER TO USE,AND THE JOHNSON WAS GREAT SOUNDING. I WENT WITH THE CRATE BECAUSE OF ALL THE FEATURES. LIKE HAVING MANY AMPS. I SUPPOSE IF I WERE YINGWEE MALMSTEEN,OR STEVE VAI,THIS AMP WOULD BE A BIT DOWN ON HORSEPOWER AND VOCABULARY,BUT, THIS AMP HAS A VOCABULARY AS LARGE AS WILLIAM SHAKESPEAR'S TO ME.(HE HAD THE LARGEST VOCABUALRY OF ANYONE,EVER.) THIS IS 2003 NOW,AND THERE ARE SOME OTHER HOT AMPS OUT THERE NOW,THE FENDER CYPER TWIN,AND THE VOX VALVETRONIX,AND OTHERS. I TRIED THEM,AND THEY ARE HOT,BUT I BELIEVE THE CRATE WILL HANG WITH THEM MOST OF THE TIME,I HAVENT REALLY HAD THE CHANCE TO GIVE THE NEW AMPS A FULL IN HOME 30-DAY-TEST. I DONT KNOW IF ALL THE AMP MODELS SOUND EXACTLY LIKE THE AMP IT IS MODELED AFTER WITH THIS CRATE DX,BUT,IT IS CLOSE ENOUGH I DO WISH IT HAD 4-10'S INSTEAD OF 2-12'S BUT MY YAMAHA DG STOPM PREAMP HAS CAB/SPEAKER SIMULATOR,SO THAT'S FIXED. I RATE THIS AMP A SOLID 10 THERE IS NO REASON TO EVER WANT FOR ANOTHER AMP. THIS AMP DOES IT ALL,AND A LOT MORE. I LIKE IT. I FIND THAT I AM PLAYING FOR HOURS AND HOURS AGAIN,NOW IF THERE WERE ONLY SOME KIND OF MUSIC I LIKED ENOUGH TO WANT TO LEARN TO PLAY.

This amp has a lot of different features that I'm sure someone else has taken the time to write out. 16 amp models, 16 effects, 3 band EQ. the neat thing about this amp is that you can download software upgrades onto it if you have a midi conversion cable for your computer. the crate people have fixed A LOT of problems concerning soft clean channels and hissing sounds at excessive volume.

I play an Epi Les Paul with a '59 SD in the neck and a 496R in the bridge (long story, I play rhythm guitar). I mostly play rock and blues. If you are someone with ADD do not get this amp. This amp can make absolutely great sounds if you love on it a little. You've gotta figure out how to work it and learn the little quirks of it like anything. But it will make a large variety of great sounds. Only beef with the amp is that some of the amp models sound very similar and the distortion is kinda weak. A good accessory pedal is a must.

It turns on whenever I feel like it. It's never broke. Enough said

no problems so i haven't called tech support, but i hear they're real nice.

for the money, this is one of the baddest amp you can buy. Great and loud and is forgiving if you take the time to figure out the different quirks like I said. Cannnot beat the value factor. I think they should call it the Crate BMF212 it's that good. If you are some guy that's been playing 200 years and you're the greatest guitar player blah blah blah buy a tube amp or a head and cabinet b/c this amp is really just a great budget amp for kids/guys in cover bands or bands that play lots of different music.

This amp is uncredibly versitile, but you have to have the foot switch. There are 128 presets. The people that criticize this amp haven't learned how to use it. The effects are awesome. I have a line 6 available and think this has much better features for less money

I have two guitars. One is a Godin LGXT. It has custom seymor Duncan pickups. The other is a cheap Raven guitar. Both sound great in this amp. I can get great distortion and low noise at high volume. Once again to not have the foot switch is to waste the potential.

never broken down

no experience with this

I have been playing 18 years. I have played numerous combos. I also have a fender M80 half stack. This blows it away with sound quality. I would buy it again in a second. You can find them on ebay occationally for about $350. Very under rated. The line 6 is simply to use. Thats why its over rated

features are ok. 10 channel 16fx/16 amp mods. i was hoping that the amp mods would sound better. I just use the clean channel and run all fx and distortions of a pr 20 preamp.

I use a les paul and a tele. again useing pre amp it doesnt sound too bad, but playing right out of the amp is horrible. there is no high end and the distortion are all that great

its pretty soild. havent had a problem here

5 year warrenty (2 on speakers)

ive been playing for 7-8 years. and if the amp was stolen id prolly just go get some thing else. like a Roland JC-120 or a peavey triple xxx! but this amp is not to bad through a decent preamp. i wish it was more like a line six with better amp mods.

a 2001 crate dx. 16 effects, 16 amp models, reverb.. etc.

i use a fender strat and a jackson kelly. They arent bad guitars. But even if you a PRS, this amp sounds like crap for the most part. If you want any kind of modern sound you MUST get a distortion pedal.It does vintage and clean ok but the distortion models are horrible and sound like you are literally playing thru the amp under water. if you dont believe me see for yourself. i dont know what i was thinking when i bought this. it also has way too much backround noise.. before you buy it, really sit down and listen to the amp.. anyway the effects are decent too.. so i wont give it too bad of a rating..

very good reliablity i must say.. amps ben with me for almost 2 years and all is well.

ive been playing for 5 years, but i know what sounds are good and what sounds arent... and believe me some of the sounds that come out of this amp are horrifying.. b4 you buy this make sure that you know that your paying 600 dollars for it..

Other posts have covered most of the ground here. I'm very much a multi-effects fan (everything in one box); prior to this I was playing a Peavey Classic Chorus 212, so I got my distortion, chorus, and reverb out of the amp and did everything else with an outboard wah, volume, and a multi-effects (ART ECC...anybody remember those?) to get anything else (nice 5-band EQ, other chorus, flanger, pitch shift, dig. delay, tremolo, etc.). Well lo and behold, the ECC has a MIDI output! So I can put the ECC in the effects loop of the crate, connect the MIDI out to the Crate's MIDI/footswitch in, and then match an ECC patch with each amp patch, and the whole mess (amp and multi-effects) switch with one footswitch press!!! Likewise, if you have outboard/rack MIDI-controlled effects processors, the MIDI out from the amp will make your life wonderful!

For that reason only, it doesn't bother me too much that there isn't more individual control over the effects.

Initially I was very disappointed with the amp; I played it in the store and at home and it sounded great (I also tried out the half-stack version), but when I took it to band practice and cranked it up, it seemed extremely muddy and lacking in "punch." Fortunately for me (although it pissed me off at the time) the store would not allow me to return it, so I was forced to live with it and learn how to coax the best tone out of it. Call it an arranged marriage...today I'm pretty happy with it, having really learned how to use it.

I use a whole arsenal of guitars: Yamaha Weddington Classic (2 hum/5-way, similar to PRS/Les Paul), Peavey Raptor Plus (Strat copy), ESP LTD with EMG 81/85 humbuckers, Ernie Ball/MM EVH copy, Kramer Baretta with a Duncan Distortion humbucker, and a Samick electric-acoustic similar to an Epiphone EA-20. I can usually get exactly the sound I'm looking for, but each patch really only works for ONE guitar. For this reason, it's absolutely ESSENTIAL to have the footcontroller (or another MIDI footcontroller...you don't have to use Crate's). No one who spends this much on an amp should settle for only having 10 settings accessible when the amp has 128 in memory. (Perhaps a design flaw).
That said, read the book, and set your patches carefully for each of your guitars. With my Kramer, it's Eruption-time! With the Weddington, I'm running from Slash to Clapton to pretty much anything, tone-wise. As others have said, you have to be patient and fiddle with things.

The wah/volume/expression controls (available through an extension jack on the footcontroller) are nothing to write home about. Any guitar player who thinks he/she should be using wah should have invested in a Crybaby long before getting to the point of buying something like this anyway. The Rotating Speaker sounds OK I guess, not something I use much for my style...the Auto Wah, while it's not as deep as the one you get from a DOD Envelope Filter stompbox, gives a nice "quack" and adds a little texture esp. to solo lines. One trick I found was to find a nice lead sound, save it to a patch, and then save an identical, adjacent patch with the Auto Wah turned on so you can switch back and forth, almost like turning a stompbox on and off, without changing the rest of your sound.

A lot of players have complained about the noise gate; to be honest I didn't realize there was one, but that might explain why I've had trouble getting those 4-hour-long singing sustain notes I've been after. Maybe it's time to pick up a Big Muff too. In any case, that WOULD explain why it's not driving me crazy with noise when I'm not playing...

Another point to note: the amp DOES change its sound noticeably between quiet and loud playing. If you're like me and you program all your patches at home in your bedroom or basement, playing quietly or through headphones, be prepared to tweak your EQ and gain when it comes to playing loud at practice or at a gig.

I've had very good luck with Crate in the past and this amp is no exception. It's as rock-solid as you could hope for. Of course, for what the thing weighs, it had BETTER be solid. Amp gets a 10.

The footswitch is another story. The MIDI cable connector is just a cheap connector soldered to a circuit board. The thing flaked out on me at practice, fortunately I wasn't shy about ripping it open and re-soldering the connector to the board. (one of the solder joints had cracked and the connection was intermittent). If you've got one of these foot controllers, be careful how you yank on the cable and if possible, find a way to strain-relieve it so that it's not pulling on the connector/board joint when you're stomping on it and kicking it around the rehearsal room or stage floor. Footswitch gets a 6, just because of the care & feeding required.

Haven't had any need. The 5-year warranty gives nice peace of mind. I'm past the 2-year warranty on the speakers, but they're Eminence 12's, how much of a disaster could happen?

I've been playing for 8 years. I've never had the money to own multiple amps, I've always followed a progression of sell one, buy the next best thing. I've always wanted tube, but they seem very expensive for the lack of versatility. I will probably keep this amp for a long time since it does so much for me. In the meantime I'll be working on building some tube amps on my own. If the Crate were stolen, I'd probably go for a fairly vanilla solid-state or small tube combo, something to tide me over, since I've still got the multi-effects. I don't play out much so it's kind of a luxury item anyway.

Overall I'd say this amp has overcome my initial disappointment. I wouldn't recommend it to inexperienced or impatient players, but if you spend some time with it and have an idea of how to get the sound you want, you'll be pleased with it AND you might discover some new sounds you hadn't thought to try!

16 effects, 16 amp models, blah blah blah

I am using an Ibanez S-classic SC140 with dual humbuckers and this amp rocks! Most of these reviews claim that this amp has no clean channel. Just how wrong can someone be. Read the manual and you will find out that this is just like every other crate amp, turn the channel level to 100% and use the gain as the volume, and you will get the most crisp clean tone you will ever need. And the best part is, is that it stays clean at very high volumes. The distortion seems like it lacks a little low end, but maybe i just need to fool around with this amp a little more to find it. I also heard that the software upgrade may fix this problem. If not I have a DOD Death Metal pedal that suits my taste just fine if I need that kind of tone. This amp is extremely versatile. It can be the hardest rocking thing on the planet and then tone down to be cool, crisp, and clean. All in all, crate has hit a home run with this amp. If you are worried about spending your money on this amp just remember: IT WON AMP OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!! That's got to tell you something. And this thing can get LOUD, and I mean LOUD!!!!!!!!! It rocks!!!

I have only had it for a few weeks now, seems tough enough. Crate has always made tough amps.

Don't know on this one, when I had my GX-40C the Crate people were awesome.

I have been playing for 6 years now, I boiught this amp because I neede an upgrade. I am very happy with my purchase. This amp suits my wide range of musical genres. It can play hard rock to jazz. Anything you need, this amp will give you it and more. All the people that gave it bad reviews nrrd to either read the owners manual or stop buying amps because they say marshall on it. Crate has done well with this one. Don't be afraid to buy this amp, besides it won amp of the year and the coolest feature of all is that when it is outdated you can download an upgrade straight from the crate website. This amp can't be beat for the proce.

See below

The Sounds suck Monkey nuts! I also have a Line 6 Flextone 2 XL and the crate doesn't even come close. I'm very disapointed!

Seems tuff

All ways had great experiences with them

I've been playing 12 years and this amp is a joke. Its models aren't even close to what they are listed as and the tone absolutely sucks. If you want a nice Modeling amp semd a few more bucks and get a Line 6.

Already discussed previously, tons of features.

I use a Joe Satriani js100 with this amp and it kills. The sound is awesome, you can get high end screaming distortion or low-end growling distortion and I like the effects a lot. The clean is also very good, especially with some delay effects or the flanger on. This is a huge step up from my previous amp, a fender frontman 15r.

I've only had this a day so I can't really comment.

same as above

I've only been playing for about a half a year but am really into it. I was looking for a pretty versatile amp and came across this on ebay. I bought it and then started reading reviews and some were negative which brought down my expectations just a little bit. Fortunately when I got it I was blown away by its sound. I'd give it a 10 but I think I need to experiment a little more before I call it perfect.

Features already fully discussed. Main flaw is only one control for all effects selected. Turn one up you turn'em all up.My amp has the Millenium upgrade.

My main axe is a Parker Fly Classic. I play mostly blues and classic rock style. The clean lower gain settings aren't too bad. High gain settings haven't got any bottom end except at low volumes. The amp gets muddy at higher volumes unless you cut the bass down. The only way I could get a decent sound out of it was at high volumes, when the power amp distortion started, versus the preamp. Cut the bass, crank it to about 8. Sounds ok but very little headroom. Sounds really compressed.
This is a good amp for a beginner, but if you are looking for a real
sweet sounding amp, look elsewhere.

Never gigged with it, sound quality just don't cut it. Seems pretty reliable because I played it about maxed out looking for some usuable tones.

Customer support was great. No problems there. Just a marginal sounding amp.

I've been playing about 30 years and have a ton of equipment. I was looking for a decent practice amp when I got this thing in a trade. If it were stolen or lost I would definitely get something else. Its a well thought out amp, its a shame. It would be great if it had any good warm tones. The amp sounds pretty good through the headphone jack so I ran this through a stereo tube power amp and a 4/12 Laney cab. It sounded a lot better, but still no cigar.

2000 DX212.MY BAND IS A MELTING POT[ROCK,BLUES,JAZZ,COUNTRY,POP]IT COVERS THEM ALL.15 AMP MODELS.16 EFFECTS. GOT IT WHEN I WAS INTO OTHER MUSIC FOR THE EFFECTS;NOW I HATE EFFECTS,BUT WHAT GREAT TONE.100WATT;PLENTY OF POWER.

I USE IT WITH A GIBSON L6-S;2 HUMBUCKERS.NOT VERY NOISY.I PLAY ROCK,BLUES,JAZZ,COUNTRY,AND POP.IT COVERS THEM ALL.FOR DISTORTION;60'S ERA UK[1959 MARSHALL].FOR CLEAN;LARGE TWEED[1957 FENDER BASSMAN]IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO TWEAK THE TONES,BUT NOW I DON'T THINK I'LL EVER USE ANYTHING ELSE...SUPURB.

NEVER FAILED YET. NEVER HAD IT SERVICED...NO NEED

N/A...ITS WARRENTED;THATS ABOUT IT.

BEEN PLAYING ABOUT 12YRS.LOVE,LOVE,LOVE THE TONE...HATE THE EFFECTS.THE EFFECTS ARE GOOD,THEY'RE JUST NOT MY PREFERENCE.I'VE BECOME ATTACHED AND LEARNED TO IT,AND WOULD HAVE NOTHING ELSE.REMEMBER;THE DX212 GOT AMP OF THE YEAR IN 2000.

See all the reviews below. This review is about reliability. I did buy this amp because of its many effects, which sounded good on the floor unit at Guitar Center.

I wanted this amp for the good variety of distortions, since the distortion on my GFX-65 is limited in tone.

I owned this amp for about 3 hours, including drive time from and back to GC. I got factory sealed unit, because of the abuse that equipment out on the floor gets at GC. The place is like a playground for pre-teen musicians, who break stuff because of inexperience.

I plugged in, turned on and...horrible low volume distorted sounds came out. Checked the controls to make sure I wasn't doing something stupid, but no...this amp was hosed. I was bummed. My old GFX-65 has been rock solid (except the junky footswitch). So back to GC, where they confirmed that the amp was kaput.

Took the refund, got my good old GFX back, and now what ? I'm afraid to try another one. This may be the end of a beautiful relationship with Crate !

This amp was made a few years ago.This amp is fairly versatile it can play a variety of styles. This can get classic rock,blues,country,jazz,and some heavy stuff(Ill explain how-At first I thought this amp suck for rock sounds)Of course this amp has many amp models, such as fender marshall mesa and vox. It has many effects such as chorus,echo,delay, and much more.You can also have multiple effects going at one time. It also has the standard gain and eq controls, the mid and treble have the most effect in getting the sound you want.I use this amp at home, and at band practices,I turn it up about half way at practice and almost half at my house when practicing, I love to play loud.

I bought this amp at guitar center, I just started playing and I thought this looked like a great amp.At first I liked it but when I started getting better at guitar this amp started to suck. i was getting into van halen and some other signatured sound players and the amp just couldn't get the tone. Then I was using a strat. when I got my wolfgang and played I was amazed!!!!!!It had more crunch power and deep rich sound. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A POWER PICKUP -A HUMBUCKER TO GET THE BEST TONE AND DISTORTION. I truly hated this map at first. I thought its distortion was weak and I bought distortion pedals and it still didnt work.Use a good guitar and this amp will please you.I was thinking about stacks maybe some marshalls or mesa boogies, but there just too expensive to big and heavy. This combo is truly good enough. i know marshall and mesas sound better there tubed and they cost a hell of a lot more than the crate.If I want more power Ill simply buy another cab to go with this.Read the manual, fiddle with the difffernt knobs and get a good guitar. Listen to me I was looking at every store playing marshalls and other big amps. This amp is great for the money.I was going to get a job this summer to save up and buy a stack but screw that...I need time to get better and have practices with my band. I never believed this until now, no matter what damn amp you play the player will sound the same.No lie spend the fortune ona stack if want and relize that its too loud and too big.Enough of that.Ive had this amp for two years and It tooka bout a year and a half before I relized that this was truly a great map. I play a large variety of music. Vai, satch,malmsteen,halen,boston,ozzy,wylde,alice in chians,hendrix,stevie ray vaughan,pantera,zeppelin,guns n roses and many more.You gotta quit trying to sound like other peoples stuff, youll never get the same tone.This amp can play those styles.This amp has a fantastic clean and acoustic sound, its truly fantastic. No better, its great.For best clean I add chorus and some reverb. The only thing this amp has a little trouble with is pantera or new heavy music.I love zakk wylde so I finnaly figured out the best settings to get his sound-use the rectified amp-gain10/bass-10/mid 2/treble7/and the rest 10, which is channel I think? Use the chorus and compressor effect and turn the effect knob all the way up, reverb at 7 and level at 6. Use a humbucking pickup and squeal away. For great classic guns in roses, use the rectified and trun all knobs up to 10, use no effects and no reverb.I know this amp is no marshall or mesa but this amp is still great, It has a good tone to it. if you tweek youll find the perfect tone.I alot better know and evrybody I play in front of is amazed. i can play all vai and halen stuff. I dig ozzy and I often practice for over 8 hours a day. This amp is great try it out!!!!!!!1

This is very reliable, nothing ever went wrong, no tubes so I shouldt be too worried.

Never delt with them. iam sure they would be great.

I have been playing for two years Iam am getting very good.I plan on makinga carreer out of playing guitar.If it were stolen I would buy the head instead, just because it can get louder with a 4x12 cab.I like the tones and clean channels.I am going to buy an eq pedal and some other effects and see what happens. Dont buy this amp unless you have heard it first. NEVER BUY ANYTHING UNTIL YOU HAVE LISTEN TO IT FIRST!!!!If you buy it take your time learn it and youll love it. It sounds great on recordings and on the computer. it sounds just as good at low volumes as high. REMEMBER USE A HUMBUCKING PICKUP. And crank it!!!!!!It can play stuff from lvan halen to ozzy to blues rock its all there!!!!

I LOVE this amp. I consider myself to be quite oppinionated when it comes to the sound that comes from my guitar. I play in a jam band that has a style similar to phish/widespread/hookah, etc. and i find that this amp has everything i need, from the sound to how loud the sound gets. A lot of people are bashing the sound of the amp, but seriously, if they read the instruction book they wouldn't look like such big idiots to those that have. Things like tremolo and vibroto are most definately not the same (tremolo is variation in volume whereas vibroto is variation in pitch) and the whole deal with the clean and acoustic channels (chan. vol. at 100%!!!). Just read the phucking book. The reason i give it a 9 is because i wish that you could get better groups of effects than those offered, maybe if you could select several effects at once or something.

I play a standard american telecaster that i have spent more money rebuilding than i have spent on the last two guitar amps i have owned (bot bought new just to help you get an idea). I play some pretty tripped out music at times and i love the crazy sounds i can get mxing for instance the flanger/echo/comp adding some good reverb, and putting it on a pretty smooth amp setting. I really dig the sound of the amp. Just recently i was talking to a friend of mine, who is in another band and was kind enough to come out and support us (and he is by far one of the best guitarist i have met) and he said that he has been playing using tube amps his entire career and he says my crate is the closest he's heard to the ture deal, and this guy knows his shit (ofcourse he still plays tubes cause they're the best, but he said the crate is pretty close which coming from him is good enough for me). I think that this amp sounds very good loud, and it gets LOUD.

i have had it for just over a month and have gigged with it 12 times already, with no back up and i will continue to do so for as long as i can (hopefully i will be getting another amp soon, maybe even another one of these suckers). me and this amp have an understanding together, we're cool.

havent dealt with them yet, but from what ive heard they are very helpful, though not as well informed as most would like them to be.

I have been playing for 5 years, this coming saturday will be the 87th show i have played as a musician. im not afraid to say i know my shit. i like this amp, however, i am just lucky that it suits my style/other gear, etc. my advice is go check one out for yourself

Check the other listings for details.

I like this amp. It easily has a clean sound, if you do like the book says to acheive it.

I've used this amp on more than one gig without a backup, and definately would again.

They've been more than helpful with any questions I've had about the amp, and sent me a new instruction book.

I've been playing for 3 years, and I own a 65 Bassman with 4x12 cab, and I use this instead. I'm a vintage junkie, and this dials in the vintage sounds I crave with the modern solid state dependabilty that's needed. I love this amp, and would recommend one to everyone.

See the other reviews, this one has the same features.

I thought the sound of this amp was terrible and there seemed to be no actual "CLEAN" sound avaialble.

The AMP seemed reliable but since it sounded so bad I got rid of it in 2 months.

Crate (St. Louis Musicial Equipment, INC. was the worst company I have ever dealt with for service and support. When I bought the amp I also got the DXFC foot controller that crapped out in less than 6 months. I had moved since buying the foot pedal and I ahd misplaced my receipt. The store tha sold it to me didn't have a copy of the receipt but said they would vouch for my having purchased it. No good said Crate, they needed a copy of the sales receipt or I would be charged for repairs. Which I was ($77 including shipping both ways). I had to pay the charges so I could sell this crap. Which I have subsequently done. I will never ever buy anything from this bunch again. Buyers, don't ever toss or misplace your receipt becuase they don't register buyers they just want tp amke sure someone paid their money for this junk.

Wouldn't own an