Crate FW120h

I bought this amp new in 2008 with the matching FW412A cabinet and I was amazed at how well it performs for the price. I have recently received the additional FW412B cabinet as an early birthday/christmas present and I love it!

I usually play a variety of rock and metal but I do sometimes play more melodic stuff and the Crate copes with all of it.

It is a solid state head.It has 3 separate channels (Clean, Overdrive and High Gain) all with DSP channel tracking. This means you have two "Banks" for each channel, "Bank A" is the amp in normal mode but when you switch to "Bank B" you can pre-select settings and save them so that no matter what settings the amp is on in normal "Bank A" operation, if you press the footswitch, it will always go back to the same settings. It also has reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser and delay effects built in to make it even better value for money!

The only thing I never use is the tuner. Well I used it once but I find using a separate tuner before using the Crate is best as Crate's built in tuners are way out.

I use this amp mainly in my bedroom, and I use a slightly older model Crate half stack (GT1200h + FW412A) when I go for guitar lessons/band practices. It has way more power than I need for a home practice amp but it's better to have too much power than not enough, right?!

I usually use this amp with an Ibanez RG370DX (fantastic guitar!) with all controls on full and utilizing the bridge pick-up (INF4 humbucker).

The Crate will solo it's way though stuff like Steve Vai on the clean channel and will crunch through songs like "Seek and Destroy" by Metallica on the high gain channel.

The only time the amp is noisy is on the high gain channel at ddecent volumes, you get a lot of background hiss but to be honest you do with quite a lot of amps.

as much as I have used it, the clean channel has never sounded distorted (unless I'm using an effects pedal) and the distortion is very heavy, maybe not as heavy as I'd like but fantastic for Metallica and Black Sabbath stuff.

I would gig this without a backup as It has been bulletproof for me, I must have dropped the head about 3 times whilst cleaning and it still works. It has never broken down in my ownership and seeing as I'm the only owner it has always worked.

The only problem I ever had was when I first got it, at mid-range volumes the output level would drop. I discovered that the cable from the head to the cabinet was an instrument cable, not a speaker cable as it should have been but I purchased a new 5' speaker cable and it hasn't happened again. I must stress that speaker cables should be used especially if you intend to play at high volumes. This amp is so powerful it could damage an instrument cable and worse damage itself in the process.

As I have said the amp has always worked fine. I did Email Loud Technologies (who own Crate Amplifiers) asking what was the best way to connect the two cabinets and they replied within 24 hours.

(the best way is to get two speaker cables, one from the "EXT Speaker" output on the head to the "IN" of the first cabinet, then the other one from the "OUT" of the first cabinet to the "IN" of the second cabinet. As long as both cabinets are wired to 8 Ohm stereo, that is the best way I know of.

Crate have a great warranty. Their 5/2 warranty guarantees electronics for 5 years and speaker components for 2 years. Personally I think if you look after This amp properly you will never need to replace any parts.

I have been playing guitar for about 6 years and bass for about a year, I own a few guitars and two basses (all replica guitars except the Ibanez, a squier affinity series J-bass and a Yamaha RBX375) I only have a Fender Rumble 15 watt bass amp though. I am looking to upgrade to a bass stack of similar standing to my Crate in the near future.

If it were stolen/lost, I would consider buying another one but I might upgrade to a Marshall or a Krank.

I don't hate anything about this amp apart from the fact it's so cumbersome to move around! I would rather have this than the FW120 combo though as the combo doesn't look as cool.

Ultimately I chose the Crate because it was the best amp in my price range at the time and now I've fallen in love with it!

3 channels (clean, overdrive, high gain) with 2 banks of DSP effects, built in tuner and footswitch.

I'm using this with an Epi G400, playing punk/hardcore/metal. The overdrive and high gain (especially high gain) channels give me the sound I'm looking for. The tone controls work well: I set the tone on the overdrive channel, and fine tune it for the high gain channel (the overdrive settings affect the high gain channel). I don't care for the effects much, but I'm not an effects user. Running through a Mashall 4X12 it is louder than the Marshall valvestate head I was using, with distortion that suits my tastes more. The only problem is the feedback when not playing (though I get that with most amps with my tone settings), but I'll try a noisegate for that.
Overall, I'm very happy with the sound and volume.

It's new. All of the functions work correctly (well, I haven't tried the tuner, but it lights up alot).
I've always had good luck with Crate.

I've never had to deal with Crate, though before buying I emailed a few questions and got no response.

I've just started playing seriously again after a 15 year break. I'm trying to build up a decent gigging setup while supporting my family on a working mans' paycheck. Both my Epi G400 and the Crate FW120h fulfill my needs without breaking the bank. Yeah, I'd love a Gibson SG and Marshall JCM800, but I got bills to pay.
If this head was stolen, I would definitely buy another. Of all of I have tried through the years, Crate has always given me the best for my money.
The only improvement I could ask for would be to offer it without effects and tuner, for most of us who either don't use em or use stomp boxes.

3 channels (clean, overdrive, high gain) with 2 banks of DSP effects, built in tuner and footswitch.

I'm using this with an Epi G400, playing punk/hardcore/metal. The overdrive and high gain (especially high gain) channels give me the sound I'm looking for. The tone controls work well: I set the tone on the overdrive channel, and fine tune it for the high gain channel (the overdrive settings affect the high gain channel). I don't care for the effects much, but I'm not an effects user. Running through a Mashall 4X12 it is louder than the Marshall valvestate head I was using, with distortion that suits my tastes more. The only problem is the feedback when not playing (though I get that with most amps with my tone settings), but I'll try a noisegate for that.
Overall, I'm very happy with the sound and volume.

It's new. All of the functions work correctly (well, I haven't tried the tuner, but it lights up alot).
I've always had good luck with Crate.

I've never had to deal with Crate, though before buying I emailed a few questions and got no response.

I've just started playing seriously again after a 15 year break. I'm trying to build up a decent gigging setup while supporting my family on a working mans' paycheck. Both my Epi G400 and the Crate FW120h fulfill my needs without breaking the bank. Yeah, I'd love a Gibson SG and Marshall JCM800, but I got bills to pay.
If this head was stolen, I would definitely buy another. Of all of I have tried through the years, Crate has always given me the best for my money.
The only improvement I could ask for would be to offer it without effects and tuner, for most of us who either don't use em or use stomp boxes.

It is awesome! The individual control on each channel is amazing and the onboard tuner is great! The sounds you get out of this solid state you won't believe.

I play a Fender Nashville Tele Deluxe and play Alternative music. I bought this amp new in 2008 and I love it to death! I can not complain about anything! It hits every sound that I can look for!

I gig this without a backup and have never had a problem. I push this baby too death and she handles it all like a tank!!!

Crate is awesome!

I have been playing for 10 years professionally and I also have a classic 50 410 and a peavey valveking 212. I love this amp and is the best solid state sound that I have heard. If it was stolen I would buy another one! BUY ONE OF THESE!!!!

got mine brand new in 2007, works for everything ive wanted to play from thrash to punk. 3 channels with digital effects and a 3 button footswitch. wish i didnt need a noise gate at high volumes though

right now im playing a strat with a single seymour duncan invader (pretty much a tom delonge signature) and its great for all the punk rock i play. when im in more of a metal mood i hook up my gibson explorer with stock 496r and 500t pickups and it gets too heavy to handle. great for bluesy sound too, my buddy tried his SRV number 1 in it and i sware it was the best blues sound id ever herd. clean is clear all the way through even at high volumes... wish i could say the same about the lead channel... needs a noise gate.

i have not found anyone else who's amp has had the problem mine has been having. about a month after purchasing it, the amp's effects would start to kick on and off with out me turning any knobs or pressing any switches. i took it in for service and the crate authorized repair shop couldn't find anything wrong and it seemed to work perfectly. when i got it back i plugged it in and it did work perfectly. about six months went by and it starting doing it again. i took it to the same guy who said he actually this time found something wrong (what it was i dont remember). he repaired what he could and i got it back... it worked like new for about a week. then it started doing it yet again. so i finally called crate and told them my story and the said they would be shipping a new unit to my house withing the month. to be honest its made me have some trust issues with this amp and even with the new unit, i still refuse to gig w/o a backup

the amp came with ether a 3 or 5 year warranty... i forget which. but both times i brought it in for service i didnt pay a penny. and then after telling them my problem and telling them ive brought it in for service twice they said they were sending me a brand new unit... its not there fault i got a defective amp and have helped me as much as a person can via telephone.

been playing near 10 years, i miss the classic reliability but love the new sound. this amp im afraid is getting a much lower rating then i wish i could give it because of my problem. i have talked to and read many other reviews and apparently no one else has had the problem i have had. because of this im being a little bias in my overall rating.

This has almost everything you could want. The cleans are awesome (very clear and bright), as is the overdrive (very warm and SRV-sounding; andding a clean channel to the mix gives you a great classic rock tone), and the high gain channel is evil (think somewhere between Slash and Dimebag). It only needs about a hair more volume to be perfect.

I got this amp new this year (2008). I use this for the metal band I play in, but you can coax ANY style of music out of this amp. From the first time I plugged into one to test it out, I tweaked and screwed with every knob I could to test out it's playability, and it more than pasted. I manily use my two modded Hamer's (a Vector with Alnico in the bridge and a Sunburst with a Duncan Pearly Gates in bridge, and a Dimarzio Air Norton in the neck) thru this beast and it really sings no matter what I'm playing.

The only flaw is the Noise. It is very noisy when you're not playing, but it was nothing a Noise Gate couldn't take care of.

Has given me any problems yet...

haven't delt with Crate directly yet....

Overall, this is a great amp at an awesome price (especially for a soild-state). It's warm, loud, versatile, and reasonable. Great for practice, gigs, and recording (so far I've only done click tracks, but they all sound good) and for beginner and pro alike.

Amp is a late 2007 build. Its is a 3 channel head w/DSP and built in tuner on front.(clean,overdrive,and high gain). I bought it new from MF, It comes with a 3 button footswitch. Two buttons for channel switching and one button for turning the DSP effects on and off. Solid state 3-channel with DSP. Has an effects loop that requires a crate Y cable to use. Also has an 1/8 input jack on front for a cd in. At 120 watts This head is loud! I bought this head to use with my Crate GT412 cab. Loaded with Celestion seventyfive-80s. My other amp is at the techs (Crate VC-6212) getting a new power transformer. As soon as I get my tube combo amp back this head is goin by the wayside until needed again as a back-up. IMO the DSP FX are worthless. I'm sure you could get some decent sounds from them, I just didn't bother with them much, I just used the stomp boxes in front of it instead.

I primarily use my Jackson DXMGT with EMG Hzs. It seems to be a good metal head. Clean channel sounds very clean and sparkly. Overdrive Is very warm and with plenty of crunch. High gain Is just crazy. Perfect for leads and rolling up with the gain produces a very nice chugga. The 1/8 cd in seemed a bit noisy but very handy for jamming along with an mp3. The Overdrive and High gain channels when left on and not playing are VERY noisy. Probably the loudest fuzz and feedback I have ever heard. Its a pretty simple fix though. Just switch it to the clean channel and it is super quiet.

Havent had it very long so I don't know about reliabilty. It has a 5 year transferable warranty so reliabilty is not a concern ATM. I'm sure gigging without a backup should be no problem. I bought this as a backup/ practice amp so I'm sure it won't get used much as soon as I get my 60 watt Crate tube combo back.

Crate customer support.. I would say excellent. My other amp Crate Vintage club 6212 Just blew a power transformer 3 weeks ago. I took it to an excellent tech in Orland Park, IL. I bought that amp new in late 2006 and it was manufactured in 2000. Crate's warranty is 5 years from date of original purchase. And they honor that! So keep your bill of sale.

I don't see how you would lose it? Honestly how drunk would you have to be to lose an amp? If it were stolen They apparently needed it worse than I did. Turn it into the insurance and get something new. I bought this as a backup because it was cheap. It sounds pretty good so that is a bonus. It does not have a headphone jack But honestly who needs a headphone jack on a 120 watt head? Buy a pocket pod or something similar for that matter.