Crate PowerBlock Head

I bought my PowerBlock in '05, so it was manufactured then or in'04.
I am submitting another review because the XLR output fizzled. This feature was "the" tipping factor when I decided to purchase this product. The XLR sounded like utter crap for guitar, but was absolutely the best sounding D.I. for bass, and that's what I used it for, uh, like twice, then it died. (The amp itself still works fine.)
I should mention that I've been at this a "long time" and have many choices for bass D.I., but to my ear this sounded the best. The PB150 amp thru one 10" Eminence bass speaker both mic'd and direct-injected was perfect in the studio. (And yes, I can trouble shoot...the problem is not my cables.)

The XLR sounded great for bass, while it was working. It simply stopped working for no apparent reason. The amp has never been played out, and has never suffered any damage. The "very basic" guitar sound can be decent when mic'd through the right speaker - I prefer a 10" Eminence Ramrod - single 10's are easiest to deal with in my small project studio. The effects loop is configured in kind of a ridiculous manner, it could have been simpler without raising manufacturing costs.
I run an old Boss "half rack" unit for reverb (not on bass, duh).

Obviously the XLR out is not reliable. I have probably only used it a total of 5 times. This amp has never been abused or dropped.
Otherwise, I love this amp.
I have not opened it up to seek out the likely cold solder joint - because the thing is so miniature, I find the prospect of self servicing it to be rather daunting - but what am I gonna do, send it back to China? I'll grind my teeth and crack the "little b*st*rd" open eventually.

I have not contacted Crate about this problem - the amp is three years old so it is no doubt long out of warranty. Since my PB150 was only $80 (new!), it simply isn't worth paying to have it serviced.
It's a "disposable product," like all the other "made in China" stuff that globalization has subjected us to. So, I'll try to find another one cheap on Craig's or somewhere.

These amps had great potential. The PB150 filled a void left after Gallien Krueger gave up on small portable guitar heads. It's shame that Crate did not refine the design. This isn't an "overbuilt vintage style tube amp," but it could have been an effective amp for recording or small gigs. (If you're carrying enough gear to play a stadium, you wouldn't be worrying about the size or weight of an amp head.)
That said, I'm bummed about the direct out...

This small digital head for guitar and more is a real value. At it's original price of $300 it was a steal - at the closeout prices around of $100 - it is a rare deal!!

This is a two channel output or summed output - 75 x 2 or 150 x 1. It has a line level input set but bypasses the volume control [wish it didn't]. It features a volume control plus a gain control along with tone controls. The amp runs very cool.

I have used this with a 10" bottom, a 12" and a 15" bottom as well as with several multi-driver rigs. It performs well under all circumstances. With the gain set at 11:00 and the volume where you might need it - it sounds very good. I sold my Bedrock 1600 combo and replaced it with this... It is superb.

I have used both of these that I purchased and have had zero problems with these.

Love the sound, portability and performance. Wish they still made these and even expanded the line.

Why the hell did they stop making this amp, and why have no other amp manufacturers tried to copy it?! It is a brilliant design in my opinion.

A single channel amp with no reverb is obviously not for everyone, but this amp has a very clever set of features. Because of the inputs and outputs I've managed to use it as an emergency PA before, it's very flexible in that sense. It's incredibly small and incredibly light - if I'm playing a gig and know that there'll be a cabinet there, I simply need to take my guitar, pedal bag and powerblock, so I can do it all in one trip, making life very easy.

I'm regularly gigging in two bands and this is the only amp I have right now. I had a Dr Z valve amp head which I sold, mainly for financial reasons but also because the powerblock nearly does the same job. I've had a few sound engineers compliment me on how good my guitar sounds and then look confused when I show them what I'm using. They find it difficult yo believe such a small box can make such a convincing sound.

As others have said, this has a very transparent sound. I have a nice set of pedals that produce the range of sounds I want, and the powerblock simply does a superb job of amplifying it. I put it through a custom cabinet with a 15" eminence speaker, and it sounds full, rounded and fat.

I normally push up the middle control to around 3pm which fattens the sound and adds presence. The EQ controls are very well voiced.

This obviously does not sound as good as a boutique valve amp head. To me though, through a decent cabinet it can sound 90% as good. I think the main thing it lacks in comparison to a valve amp is the ability to cut through a band. It doesn't quite have enough bite to do it, but it's not far off.

I've been using mine for about 18 months and it's been solid as a rock so far. Obviously not having any tubes makes it much more reliable than a valve amp, and you avoid a major expense of having to get it retubed every year or two.

To be honest the build quality is a bit cheap, but in it's padded bag you can still throw it in the bag of the car knowing that it will be ok.

Not had to deal with them.

I bought this cheap when they were selling them off after they were discontinued. It was so cheap that I picked it up just to use as a little practise amp. I then tried it at rehearsal and discovered that it was nearly as good as the valve amp which cost me 20 times as much.

I would be first in the queue if Crate released the Powerblock II. I would absolutely love to see a new version of the powerblock with higher build quality and an improved sound, but essentially the same features. If Crate aren't going to do this would some other amp manufacturers PLEASE rip it off! We're not all so obsessed with valve amps that guitarists don't need this sort of product.

There's a massive range of small, portable solid state bass amps on the market. Why can't the same be true for guitarists? There is far too much snobbery in guitar equipment, the technology is now there to produce good, simple alternatives to valves.

Features: see other reviews

Power 150watts=LOUD

Cool Features: Effects loop, RCA Aux in, XLR out

SMALL, TOUGH CONSTRUCTION!!

CONSIDERING WHAT IT IS, COMPARED TO LIKE POWER AMPS FEATURES ARE GREAT!

I'm writing this in response to a few reviews that gave it 1's (like mortuusspecter). After reading their poorly conceived reviews I had to respond after using this great little piece of equipment for over a year now.

YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER IT"S A POWER AMP: AKA GREAT BEHIND A MODELER ETC.

Behind your favorite pedals etc. this little puppy just shines. Because it's made to NOT COLOR YOUR SOUND. It will simply take your sound and make it louder. That's why it's great.

The on-board distortion is not great by itself because basically its a power circuit simply overdriven but as others have said it sounds great with pedals like the bluesdriver or my favorite with it a mesa-boogie v-twin or sometimes I use a Tubescreamer type (the barber direct drive is GREAT)

The EQ shapes very well.

Mortuusspecter's review said it wasn't loud enough for his bedroom well unless his bedroom is in the boiler room of a world war 2 aircraft carrier then he either had a faulty unit or set it up wrong, because mine is LOUD! I've paired it with 4x10", 4x12", 2x12" and even a 1x15" cabs and they were all LOUD.

Great, transparent sound that simply amplifies YOUR SOUND-genius...
Unless your sound sucks. But then hey with the price of this amp you'll have alot of chedder left to customize your sound after you get the amp.

Well made, tough little amp. Never had a prob in over a year of solid use.

I use it as a backup to my tube amp. I like to combine it with my johnson J-station amp modeler. In this role it really shines. I also team it up with a tube preamp/ distortion pedal (mesa v-twin) which also kicks ass.

THINK ABOUT IT AN AMP THE SIZE OF A LUNCHBOX WITH YOUR FAVORITE PEDAL AND A CAB OF YOUR CHOICE!-

--You could have a 150watt set up that fits in a small back pack-SWEET!

I use it for practice all the time with a 1x10" cab I made in my little wood shop. PERFECT PRACTICE SETUP!

A $100 power amp that rivals some $300 poer amps I've heard over the years.

No idea when it was made. Suppose it doesn't matter much. I like most of the features but I wish it had a reverb on it. Effects loop is a nice feature. I have Line 6 Pod 2.0 that plugs works really well with this amp.

Sound quality is good if not great. It won't give you that deep dark distortion you crave if you're into metal or modern style music. With the gain turned most of the way up, you can get a convincing ac/dc type sound with it wich is pretty cool. But as far as deep dark tear your face off distortion, it just doesnt have it. Clean tones are also good not great. Turning the treble all the way up gives a tinny jangly kind of sound. Mids and lows are quite tight though.

Mine has been gigged, left on overnight, used as a make-shift P. A. system and generally miss-treated. I have had no trouble with this amp at all I turn it on and it works. I bought it as a back up, tried it gigging one night and now its my main amp. I have that much faith in it.

I bought it brand new out of the box and I was instantly impressed. For such a small piece it has plenty of headroom to keep up with and surpass even the most aggressive drummers. On its own it is not a special sounding amp. It sounds like what it is. A very loud, solid state amp. Adding effects to it as I and most users of this product have, opens up a world of choices. The Line 6 Pod 2.0 is a good choice as they are rock solid reliable and since Line 6 has released a new version of this, Used ones on Ebay are popping up all over the place.

Pretty light on the front-panel features. No reverb. No effects. Just gain, treble, mid, bass, and volume controls.

Has some great features on the back though, including effects loop, stereo CD/line input, XLR out, and powered-outs of either stereo @ 4ohms each, or mono at 8ohms.

I LOVE this little powerhouse! And this is coming from a guy who's been using 100 watt tube heads live for years. I have been using Hughes & Kettner Triamp Mk I and a Traynor YCS-100H for my live classic rock and country gigs.

I play a G&L Tribute Legacy strat, G&L Tribute Asat tele, and three ESP Ltd EC-400's at gigs. All of them sound great through my tube heads. And they all sound great through the Power Block.

I purchased the Power Block used for $100 off of Ebay a couple of weeks ago. What a deal! I got it to have as a backup so I didn't have to haul multiple tube amps around to gigs. But I've been using it as my daily practice rig every day since I got it. I don't like having to warm-up and cool-down tubes and having wear and tear on them just for practice. So I have the Power Block plugged-into my two JCM 900 1960 cabs (A and B) and it rocks!

Plenty of volume for sure. And it sounds great for clean country on my tele if I roll-off the gain back to about "3" and use my Visual Sound Route 66 compressor for that Brad Paisley sound. Or I roll the gain up to "10" and kick in my "Ultimate Mod" TS-9 Tube Screamer for rock and metal. Maxed-out the Crate has roughly Marshall JCM800 level gain on-tap. With the addition of any decent OD or distortion pedal to the chain there's plenty of gain on-tap.

I'm impressed with the tube emulation in this little beast. It does a decent job. To my ears a LOT better-sounding than the Line 6 Duoverb or the Behringer Vampire heads that I used to use for backup and/or practice. And I even like the fact that it's got no reverb or anything fancy on-board, as my good quality effects pedals do what I need in those areas. I will still gig with tube amps because I've learned over the years that NO solid state or modeling amp can match tube amps for clean headroom, or that musical quality that power tubes being driven hard have (they're "ALIVE"). But I feel more than confident throwing the Power Block in its soft bag and hauling it to gigs as my only backup to the tube head. It sounds good enough that the rest of my night wouldn't be ruined if I had to use it. That's saying a LOT!

Dunno what kind of reliability it has long-term. Hope it holds up. But may eventually buy another just to have around since they don't make 'em anymore.

Dunno. Hope I don't have to find-out.

I've been playing since 1984 and been gigging since 1986. I've played thousands of gigs with just about every piece of gear out there over the years. Found a lot of good stuff and a lot of junk. So far I am very impressed with this little beasty.

The only way this thing could be any better for my tastes is if they somehow squeezed 4-El34 power tubes in there! But then I'd still have to have a backup for that... so this thing rules "as-is" and is perfect.

The Crate Powerblock 150 watt solid state amp. It has all the "back to basic" amp controls. I'm begining to learn that this is something that allows you to build from it's basic design to get the final sound your looking for. The option that I wish it had was a dual channel. I'm of the opinion that when using this amp you have the basic necessities to build from and with that the most valuable "feature" on this amp is realized when you go to grab your equipment and load it into your car. I have finally learned how to grow the sound from this amp. Of course it would be nice to have that Marshall, Fender and Ampeg sound right out of the box which I have done for many years but I'm willing to learn how to grow my sound off this thing. Dollars and weight are by far the best feature on this amp. Enough said!

I play exclusively through an American made Stratocaster and Gibson SG. Most of the time I'm playing through the neck pickup and sometimes through neck and middle. I mostly play Blues of all sorts and some Rock from 60's 70's and 80's. If I were to quote my favorite artist the top five would be first and foremost Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan and then Derek Trucks, Robin Trower and Duane Alman. Yes, the tube sound is what I prefer by far. I finally found the sound I was hoping for out of this amp yesterday. When I first purchased the amp I plugged straight into the amp with my guitar and played with tone a little and finally begin to work on the level and gain controls. I must admit that I wasn't very pleased with the sound at this time and wanted to dismiss it very quickly as only a backup amp. Although it could produce some ok sounds that could get you out of a bind when you need a amp or go home it just didn't cut if for me. I experminted even further and found when using my Blues Driver pedal I could easily grow the quality of sound but it still couldn't produce what I was looking for. That soon changed. Read on.

I must tell you that I've had no problems with this amp as of yet and I'm very pleased. Additionally, the sound I like is playing with the level in highest position possible and this is where others are having problems supposedly. Even though I have discovered the sound with this amp that I enjoy, I still would not use it without a backup in public simply because of the reports of the amps failure in some cases. I would use it in public as I love the sound but never would I pack it alone.

No Opinion

Alright, this is the nitty gritty of it all isnt it. I've been playing for little over 30 years now. Through the years I have developed a love affair with all types of amps and at the very top of my list are two special amps of mine; The Ampeg VT 40 and many different Marshall head/4x12 combinations. The most recent Marshall head in the stable is the JCM 2000 3 channel. They are both great sounds but the truth of the matter is this simple fact. Every time I set them up to deliver that sweet sound I love, an argument almost always breaks out between my wife and I. It was sometime during one of these discussions with her that I began to study these little amps that were supposed to produce that sweet delicious sound but at a lower level. (My Marshall when playing through the lower watt option just does not due the amp justice either) I have played, purchased, sold and kept some I liked but the bottom line is I don't believe they can be reproduced completely at lower levels. Although some amps come close I feel they just don't compare so I turned my focus on trying to get a great sound out of one of these small light weight amps that I kept. Several just couldn't cut the mustard but when I hooked up this Power Block to my Marshall 4x10 cabinet (yes they did make them) and with the level on full out and gain at 10 o'clock or more with the Blues Driver pedal level at 10 or 12 O'clock and gain half way up, this little amp began to sing for me like the VT 40. I couln't believe what I was hearing and thank goodness I was home alone at the time. Whoever said these amps are weak don't have a clue or like me didn't experment with them enough in the beggining. After reading the previous review I've decided to try some other devices with this amp to get more of the tube sound through. I'll tell you straight up, I'm no Crate fan but they have caused my eybrow to raise slightly with this one. What baffles me is why they discontinued the thing. If modifications were neceessary on the amp for reliability purposes I would have them done on this one and would buy another one in a heartbeat if stolen. I'm going to do some research on this one to see what kind of mods if any are available. I wish Crate would see this concept through and bring it to a standard for all amps. If some young techie figures out a way to make these things cream of the crop, people will be spending thousands on them. Musicians are young only so many years and then they hate carrying all that weight around.

This review is an update focused on a few features I didn't sufficiently appreciate when I started using this amp. The most important are the collection of I/O on the back panel. The amp has an effects loop plus CD in, XLR out, and two 1/4" auxiliary ins, stereo or mono. It took me a while to realize that I could run a guitar modeller into an auxiliary in, controlling volume and tone from the modeller, and use the input for a microphone. In other words it's like a powered mixer. That realisation saved me from buying a dedicated combo for solo work.

It's not the best sounding amp I ever heard as a standalone, pretty bland. But it does a good job of amplifying the sound of a modeller, and modellers/multi FX are the core of my rig (I travel with a guitar and modeller, and use a modeller when I sit in). No, modellers don't sound like the originals, but they can sound very good, and the convenience of practicing, gigging and sitting in with the same rig is priceless. I use the PB with a Zoom G2.1u (see my review) and Digitech RP200. Sounds better with the RP200 but either box can be tweaked to get a very good sound with the amp.

It's working fine.

Never called 'em.

Look, at $99 for a device that weighs 4 pounds, comes with a carry bag, runs on either 110 or 220 volts, and can function as a PA system and power amp for solo gigs, this thing is unique. I'm a light gear freak. My preferred amp is a Kustom Tube 12A (see my review), another light (10 lb) cheap device, because it has inbuilt tube sound and the line out means I can use it as a preamp through PAs as well as a practice amp. So I put the PB aside until I started looking for a keyboard combo to use with mike, guitar and maybe drumbox... and then realized the PB's inputs solved my problem. I'll be experimenting with different speakers to see which gives me the best sound. Meanwhile, I'm glad I got one of these before they were discontinued. I don't know why these weren't bigger hits when they were introduced -- maybe because soundwise, they take some work to get good sound. I think Crate was ahead of its time here.

gain. level. highs. mids. lows. one channel. poorly devised effects loop. 150w solid state.

this thing is pretty bland.

at 150w, it has no power to it. i wouldnt dare take it out of my house, but even sitting in my room, practicing, its still too quiet.

it has one sound. the gain knob and level knob work together to make volume. you cant make it distort or make it clean. its in the middle, where it has no life.

im using an ibanez xiphos with a seymour duncan invader. i mostly play metal.

without a pedal, its useless. even with a pedal, the pedal is all you can hear.

im sure its reliable, as long as you dont accidentally hit one of the knobs out of place (which is easy to do, considering they stick out a good inch).

i had an issue with the power cord. it shorted out, but i dont blame crate for that one.

n/a

ive been playing long enough to know better than to spend $100 on this thing. if i lost it, i wouldnt care a bit.

new early 2007. Basic stuff: Gain, Volume, bass, mid, treb. It's a basic amp. As that it's good.

This amp sounds great to my ears and I have been playing tube amps for a very long time. Still have 6 vintage tube amps. I bought this for a back up and have started to use it lately at the gig. It is clean but can have a little grit or rasp to it. Love the deep clear lows with an edge to them. The highs can be a little spikey but not too bad actually for a SS amp. It's a one trick pony to my ears. Run the gain at 11-1 oclock and the volume in the same range and it sounds great...and loud. I've been running the volume at just past 12 oclock and the gain about the same. This gives a semi-clean sound but with just enough hair in it to satisfy me. It takes to pedals pretty well. Bass and Mids are near cranked and the treble about 2 oclock on the dial.

I've heard they fail often.. or shut themselves down, but I haven't seen it yet. Maybe if you crak it allthe way it overheats or something?

havent tried.

Played 40 years. love tube amps. Trying to use this to tone down the volume. However..... it's loud as hell! Now I'm really starting to like it! ARGHH...it's sacriledge...playing a SS amp...But with the gain, I can tweek it in at little lower volume. for $99 buck it's afantastic value... if it keeps woking.