Crate DXJ112

I doubt if there is any other amp, aside from possibly a Line 6, that has so many features. All the amp models, all the effects, plus the ability to store 10 or 128 settings (depending on your footswitch) into memory make this a very versatile amp. The onuy feature it lacks is a built-in tuner, and that wasn't enough to lower my score in this area.

The sound quality isn't too bad, but the stock speaker has a problem with bass - and there is a slight, annoying buzz from the speaker when there is a sustained low E or A note. I hooked up another speaker (from a Crate RFX-65) and the buzz went away, so putting a decent speaker in this amp will correct this problem.

If you spend enough time tweaking the tone settings, this amp really shines! I set it up alongside my other amps (Crate RFX-65, Fender Deluxe 900, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe) and, with the exception of the tube driven Hot Rod, sounded the best. And unlike the Hot Rod, I can get many different sounds that, from the Hot Rod, require an array of pedals.

I like the sound of the effects - they are good enough for me to eliminate use of a multi-effects pedal. True, the compression effects are somewhat of a waste, but the remainder that don't include compression include all you'll ever really need.

Never had any problems. Solid state amps just work, period.

I've never had to use Crate's customer service, so do not have an opinion here.

I bought one of these new in 2003 and used it through 2006. I perform as a one man band, and this was my amp of choice for it's light weight, flexibility, and reliability. Crate no longer makes these (I think 2003 may have been the last year they were sold). I sold mine in 2006 and started using other amps. After awhile, I realized that I missed the flexibility of this amp. So, I found a new one online (what a rare find!), and also got the footswitch that lets you access 128 memory locations. I typically have used Fender Strats through this amp, but have now switched to a Gibson Flying V, and it really makes a difference in what comes out!

I imagine this amp would not hold it's own in a full band at high volume levels, but in my one man band act (using a backing computer and vocal harmonizer) where I have full control over the volume, it works well.

As for background, I've been playing since the early sixties, and play classic rock, country, blues, standards, and assorted other stuff. I play a Flying V, Stratocaster, Telecaster, and ES-335 clone (Epiphone).

well most of the features are mentioned already but i'll say there's 16 amp models and 16 effect models .. about 4 fenders a vox ac30 a few crates ( vintage club , blue voodoo ) and an acoustic and a clean .. not to forget a couple of marshalls and a boogie or two .. this model is 60 watts with a 12 inch speaker .. the effects include just about anything you'd use .delay , auto wah , compressor, flange, chorus , rotary speaker , and all the knobs are twist and go which makes it easy to get where you want to be ..

i use a lot of different guitars .. mostly lesters and tele's ..but i use an occasional strat and a few different derivatives of those ..( pretty much any guitar you use is gonna be a derrivative of those 3 if it's not one of those 3 ) i play mostly classic rock or country rock and some blues ..a little of everything and this amp can handle it all .. not too sure about headbangin metal though .. i don't do metal so can't say for sure .. i haven't had any troubles with the amp bein noisy except if you get too close to flourecent lights with single coils but it's not too bad .. as far as tones this sucker can pretty do whatever i need it too .. don't get me wrong it probably won't replace tubes but for the price and all the features it's like you bought a bunch of effects and they threw in the amp for free .. and the amp tones are pretty close .. i have a crate vintage club and when i put the setting on this for vc it's dead on .. the real vc might have a tad more gain on a scale of 1 to 10 but not much .. it's like an 8.5 to a 9 for comparrison .. and the clean channel ( actually the clean model ) is really good .. you can be playin with the marshall mode on and switch to clean and it doesn't matter where the gain is set .. it's clean .. your lester sounds like a quasi acoustic .. ( the acoustic channel does that too ) it sounds great with a tele too.. and the distortion is good .. not the very best but pretty good ..

ya never want to gig without a backup but you probably could with this .. crate makes a pretty reliable amp.. i got the footswitch with this and it didn't work ..i sent it back to crate and they gave me another one ..no hassles at all .. ( it was a floor model so who knows what happened to it ) and no tubes to worry about with this one ..

like i said before they replaced the footswitch with no troubles at all .. i think the warranty is 5 years ..they don't give you that long on some cars you buy ..

i've been playin for over 30 years and i own way too much gear to list ..i do have another crate dx but it's the dxb .. pretty much the same thing but it's only 30 watts with a 12 inch speaker .. i like them both a lot but i probably play the dxb more because i can hookup another cabinet to it .. this one you can't .. i don't know why crate did that ..they let you hookup an extention speaker for the 30 watter but not the 60 .. but overall it's a great amp .. loud enough for most any gig ..if it was lost or stolen i'd miss it but because i have the other one i probably wouldn't get another one because i have too many amps already .. i did compare this to the line 6 spider and this is much better .. as far as i know crate has discontinued these ands i don't know why .. if you can find one they are a steal .. for all the things it does and does pretty well i might add i have to give this amp a 9 again .. and i' don't like to give anything a 10 ..so you know how good a 9 is ..

The features are decent. The distortion sucks really bad compared to what you get with a pedal. The touch wah is ok. Alot of the extra effects are kind of crappy.

I'm in a band. The distortion of freakin' horrible. The clean channel is decent but when i turn it up past half (needed when playing with a band) you get a horrid feedback.

We're having our first gig in June. I'm planning on getting rid of this thing and getting a new amp before then. This is amp is ok if you want it for home use. For shows, it sucks.

Never dealt with them.

Overall i was really dissapointed with the heavy feedback, crappy distortion, and the distortion isn't deep. The bass just isn't there. And put next to this 50 peavey my friend just bought, i'd take the peavey.

As already described, this is a basic modeling amp, built from about 2000-2002. It has 16 amp models to choose from, with gain, bass, mid, treble and master volume in the "channel " section, along with an overall master volume control. There are 16 effect choices, an effect level control and reverb controls. A basic 12" speaker with midi in/out and headphone out on the back. It is rated at 60 watts at 8 ohms, but there is no way that it puts out that volume. I played a 60 watt Mesa Boogie for 10 years and that was louder on 2 than this amp is cranked. I also traded a Carvin Nomad 1x12, 50 watt tube amp for this amp, and it was louder at 3. This sounds more like 25 watts or so and there is no way it could hang with a band or a drummer on its own. I bought it for a living room amp for my students to use and for me to work on for fun without setting up my full rig. So, it has enough power for a living room or studio, but it definitely is not capable of club work unless miked.

Since it is a modeling amp it is pretty versatile The amp could really benefit for an extension speaker jack. Also, the effect control is minimalist and there really isn't much control over the parameters of each effect. The amp could benefit from that as well.

I play three primary electrics- A Tom Anderson Hollow T (strat/tele style), a Schecter PT Custom (Les Paul vibe) and a Washburn HB-35 (335 style). I have played Mesa Boogie amps for over 25 years, including a Mark IIB, a Mark IV and currently a Road King 4-channel Dual Rectifier model. I also have had a variety of Fender tube amps over the years.

This amp seems to respond best to single coil pickups, although the single coil hum is very pronounced.

As a modeling amp, the amp can obviously produce a wide variety of tones and styles. This amp shines on its Fender amp models and its two Mesa Boogie models (Rectifier and Mark IIC+). With single coil pickups, the Fender Deluxe and Bassman models sound fantastic. Lots of sag and bounce to the sound, tight bottom end. I was very impressed with the Fender like feel of the amp. Likewise with the Boogie clones. They got these right and they are a lot of fun and sound great. The Marshall sounds are really weak in my opinion, and most of the other models aren't impressive. I have no familiarity with the various Crate amps that are modeled. I think the Vintage Club model is not bad and the Voodoo is fair. For the most part, the rest of the models are useless. However, you can get a good variety of clean, overdriven and over the top tones with the 6 or so models that are mentioned. So, if you consider that you can get roughly six decent amp sounds, including classic Fender tones, high gain, Boogie and dirty all in one little amp, that is pretty danged good.

The effects section is okay. You don't have the ability to change any of the parameters of each effect other than the "level" which is just how much of each effect goes to the signal. They are fair. The chorus and flange are okay for living room and practice, but definitely wouldn't cut it for studio or live work.

I do detect some electric buzzing in long sustain notes as they fade. It is sensitive to single coil hum. While single coil pickups seem to bring out the best in the amp, it doesn't "read" humbuckers as well.

The speaker seems very cheap. I do wonder whether the amp would benefit from a Celestion or other quality speaker and may try that. An extension speaker jack might help quite a bit as a point of comparison or to enable one to add more beef with a 2x12 or 4x12.

So, if you are looking for a fun practice amp or perhaps a low cost "Home studio" tool amp that can provide a variety of passable tones, this is a good little amp. If you care about good quality tone for recording or live situations, this amp isn't the one. The tones, sounds, effects are serviceable to a point and constitute a compromise of sorts between quantity of features, price point, technology, and quality. For the money, it produces some decent tones and reasonable effects in a wide variety (quantity) without exceptional quality. Insofar as I got it for just that purpose, variety in a low volume low-priority setting, it is just what I was looking for.

The amp is not really road worthy. It is made of plywood and isn't particularily heavy or solid. It isn't cardboard or anything, but it isn't professional grade construction that would hold up to regular abuse of loading and unloading on a regular basis. It seems electronically sound, and certainly "solid state" amps like this aren't as sensitive to damage as tube loaded amps. I wouldn't use it on a gig, but if I were to think about it, I definitely would have a back up strategy in mind, either another amp or a Pandora's Box to run through the PA.

Never dealt with Crate so I have no idea.

I have been playing over 30 years, and performing live for about 25 years. I rely on professional level gear, like Mesa Boogie and have own Carvin and Fender tube combos over the years as well. Guitars include Tom Anderson (several), Baker, McInturff, PRS, Washburn, Schecter, vintage Gibson, Fender and Epiphones. My main rig is a Mesa Road King head through a pair of 2x12 Celestion loaded cabs.

I had a Carvin Nomad 1x12, 50 watt 4xEL34 combo as my practice amp. It was a great sounding tube amp, but I couldn't push the tubes hard enough in my living room to get decent tone. It was just too much power for my teaching needs. I traded it for this amp and the midi foot controller. This amp definitely is not too loud and enables me and my students to get a wider variety of tones and gain at comfortable listening levels. So, it fits the need I got it for nicely. If it were lost or stolen, i wouldn't necessarily go looking for another of these. If I found one cheap I would buy it, but I would go looking for a better overall modeling amp, like the new Zoom Fire-30 or perhaps a small Line6. I had thought about a Zoom Fire-30, but the trade opportunity was quick and easy, and I didn't have to sell an amp and then shop for another.

What I love about the amp is that I can get about 6 or 7 very different sounds- from Fender clean to Boogie crunch to High Gain icepick all at living room volume and all at the tap of the footcontroller. What I don't like is the mediocre compromise on the quality of the other amp models and the effects, and the anemic power. There is no way this thing puts out 60 watts at 8 ohms. However, the amp is priced at the lower end and not meant to be a professional level live performance usable amp. Nonetheless, it isn't all it could be. I am giving it an 8 as it is a good amp for the purpose I need it to be, but not the best it could be.

i am using a rickenbacker laguna with piezo bridge.iusually use the clean amp models with the gain all the way up.the top mount and blackface sound very good.do they sound like the real thing?probably not ,but they do sound good.i use amp along with a fender hot rod tube amp.i use the fender withe the piezo input and the crate for the humbuckers,for a stereo sound

i hvae owned this since 2001 and have no issues.i am in the process of changing the speaker out to a celestion gt 12-70.seemed to be very well built.i thought lightning might have gotten it one day during a performance,but i just unplugged it and all was ok.

no issues here

this amp was well worth the price i paid for it.it is very versitale AMP.i even used it as a an acoustic bass amp with the fender bassman amp module.as noted by others the chorus and delay is excellent.the reverb is better than my fender tube amp.i tried a mult-effects unit on the fender tube amp and it sounds good,but i keep coming back to the crate for the effects that i use,chorus,delay rotating speaker,comp/chorus/delay.i am still playing with the distortion amp models.the tube emulation is good,the mesa -boogie sound is very good.flexwave is good,i dont use the vintage models yet,but we will see what a brighter speaker does.overall i enjoy this amp.i would buy again

nice effects, very nice overdrives on the mesa boogie models, tube simulation is alright, decent enough for my purposes. very nice overall

I have been able to get some great sounds out of this thing... i can pull naything from an acoustic to a bluesbreaker-ish tone to kidney-rattling distortion out of this machine. the effects have a great touch, although the compression you get with the effects can get on your nerves. one of my favs is the fuzzbox setting with overdrive around 12 o clock and the lush rotary speaker setting... its as close to a hendrix sound as i'm likely to get close to for under $500... and thats saying something! this amp is extremely versatile, and it works well with humbuckers... the clean channel can be a bit soft, but if you turn it up, its very nice... w/ distortion, this thing gets LOUD! the reverb is a nice touch, and is very nice and even. can i just impress again upon the outstanding versatility of this amp? you can get a 70s funk, an 80s howl, a santana roar, the kinks hollow distortion of the sixties (pure british! another of my favs!) and a tube-y warmth. any amp that can do this for under 400 bucks is a good one in my book. my only complaints are the crappy speaker ( i plan to replace it) and some slight muddiness and buzz at extremely high bass setting.

this amp is... quirky. its stood up to abuse admirably, being bumped, hit, dropped, etc, and playing on. however, it has also inexplicably shorted out on me. what originally happened was that it would refuse to make a sound, i would turn it off and back on, then it would work. but then for about a month, it wouldnt work. the lights went on, but no sound emerged, and the headfones jack refused to cooperate. however, i removed the board, fiddled with some wires, put it back in and viola! its been working since... the amp is made of some pretty sturdy stuff, but i've gotta take off some points for the sit down strike it pulled on me.

never dealt with crate. i bought the amp lightly used, w/o a warranty.

well, overall, i am very satisfied with this amp... i bought it off of ebay, and i was initially worried about the quality, but its been working fine, except for that one period. being a young player with only this and a small practice amp, i have to admit that i'm thankful to have gotten such a versatile amp. i would have needed 7 or 8 amps to do the job that this one does. However, if I lost this amp, i dont think that i would replace it. I've just seen too many Mesa Boogies and Fender blackfaces go for the same price that i've been kicking myself frequently. let it be knwon that this amp, although it sounds nice, does not do an amazing job on any of the settings at all. but it makes up for this fact by covering so many bases... and although a fender blackface may sound amazing clean, it cannot replicate the amount of tones produced by this amp. If theres one thing i wish about this amp,it would be another input jack some real tubes.

I am a Rock and Roll choir director for a teen mass. We get very loud. We have 10-15 mins to get setup and to tear down. I had to have a self contained amp with built-in effects that can be foot controled, cabinet voiced line out, and be a single hand lift. I got all this with the DXJ112 for only $399/w MIDI controller. Although you do need to tweek and experiment with this amp, you will eventually fall in love with it.

I mostly use a Carvin AE185 and a 79 Fender Strat standard. My choir(and I use the term loosly) is really more a rock band with 15 singers. I use so many different sounds from cleanest of clean acoustic to full on crunch with everything in between on any given Sunday that a standard amp and stomp boxes would not suffice. This amp does the job nicely. All the clean settings are very quiet. The dirty settings can be noisey at maxed levels, so be careful. My favorite sounds are the Top Mount slightly over driven and the acoustic emulator. The chorus sounds plush and warm, and delay and auto-wah get high marks as well. Now, first thing I noticed is that all the factory presets really blow. Don't be discouraged. This is due to the evil presense of sound/tone killing compression on just about anything and everthing preset. You will notice that there is quite a volume mismatch between the clean and dirty channels. DUMP THE PRESETS. You'll have to spend about a month really learning this amp, but the results are very sweet. Most negative reviews I've seen are from tube users expecting tube performance. NOTICE TO TUBE USERS: THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR TUBE...PERIOD!

I've read a number of problems with the speaker. This is where the inexspensive price tag shows. As soon as I saw it I replaced it, so I didn't give it time to fail. It looks like it would be more at home in a 70's transister radio. Considering the price, replacing the speaker was well worth it. I move this amp allot and there has not been a problem. I did have to repair the MIDI foot controller, but that was my fault for pluggin it in hot one too many times.

Never had to deal with Crate.

I've been playing for 20 years in rock and dance bands alike. I've also been doiing Rock Choirs for 14 years. I've used all sorts of combos like Peavey, Randall, Carvin, and earlier Crates. In retorspect, I would replace it if it were lost or stolen and tweek the sounds right out of the box. If you don't want to tweek and tweek when you first own this amp, then this is not for you. But the Crate DXJ112 more than suites my needs.

I have a 2001 model most of the features have been covered/but I would like to say it is nice to have controlls on the front of the amp where you can see them,along with them being resest, nice.

I AM USEING A GRETSCH 6120 ,I play finger style,country surf music.this amp is very quiet with the master vol turned down a bit.THE variety of sounds and effects are great, reverb sounds like a spring unit,very strong 60 watts

I have only had this amp for a month know problems.I have been a amp tech for 15 years,and i can tell you out of fender,marshall peavey ampeg mesa crate,CRATE tube and solidstate amps were seldom in the shop. also i feel they are made very well having seperate boards for pwr supply,pwr amp,pre amp,ect.

I have dealt with crate many times ordering parts schmatics, they have been very good. MARSHALL is the worst when it comes to service

I have been playing for 35 years,i have owned many tube amps,along with modeling amps made by johnson yamaha line 6.This is the easiest,best sounding quietest of the modeling amps.VERY warm sounding.I would buy another in a minute.ALSOit is not heavy.

This is merely an addendum to my recent review; please look at my updated "Sounds" rating.

Well, as many have noted, and I didn't want to believe, this amp does indeed sound better "in the store" than in the garage. I played with some guys last nite (bass, me and another guitarist, drummer); the amp simply couldn't be heard. Worse, anything struck on the low E and A strings really "farted out" bad. This was particularly noticeable on the "vintage" settins, such as blackface and tweed settings. Now I do want to say, if you are ONLY buying this to jam along with your stereo, and maybe jam along with another guitarist, this amp does really sound pretty cool at settings below the midway point. From there on though, it just doesn't cut it. I therefore change my rating to "5" -- 0 for jamming in a garage band situation, 10 for messing around in your living room. I will be taking mine back, as I want something that'll hang with a drummer. Still, a fun amp with good quality emulations (again, at lower settings).

Well it's loaded with features as you can see from previous reviews. I find all the effects to be pretty useable, I usually don't dial them up real high, I prefer them to be more subtle. This amp pulls it off fine. I love the different amp simulations! My faves are the Blackface, the 70s Marshall, the Rectifier, the Vintage Club, and the Ampeg. Again, I find nearly all of the simulations to be useable. Wish the foot control came with it; I think it's another $100. I'll probably not bother with that.

I love it! I think the distortion channels sound great. Are they as accurate as the real thing? Guess not, but I didn't have to go out and buy 13 amps either. I love the reverb dialed in with nearly all the various amp settings. I haven't jammed it with a garage band yet, but I did run it while a guy was playing drums at the place I bought it. I didn't have it max'd and it was plenty loud. If clubbing with it, you could obviously just mic it anyway. It is loud enough to go with a drummer and bassist I believe. I think the clean channels sound pretty sweet; again, not as good as a vintage Fender tube amp, but good just the same. I play primarily guitar-oriented rock (classic, modern, alternative) and I find all the sounds I dig in this amp.

No idea. 5-year warranty protects me though. I owned a Crate Vintage Club 30 for nearly 2 years. Had a capacitor or something go bad once, took it in and they fixed it in a couple of days no charge. I believe it'll hold up.

Again, no idea.

I think this is a very versatile amp that will be great to jam along with others. I'm happy so far, but I do have 30 days to test drive (bought it from one of the superstores), so I guess there's not much risk. I'll post more if I haven't different input 30 days later.