Crate PowerBlock Head

I'm 44 and at 4 pounds (!!!) it's hard to beat. I play classic rock into an Eminence loaded Avatar stereo cab, and I have no problems keeping up with the band in small rooms.
I have two negatives:
1) This amp begs to have a modeler run into it, as it has nothing but gain, level, and three band tone. So I run a GNX-2 floor modeler into Effects Loop/Line In, stereo. But unfortunately, the PowerBlock has no level control after the Line In. I have to control the level by bending down to my GNX-2, which is a REALLY inconvenient way to make level adjustments while gigging. So I had some guy on ebay build me a small box with a ganged (stereo) pot that I sit on my cab to control level.
2 The PowerBlock can not drive a 2 speaker stereo cab, whose jacks are grounded together on a common shield. The first PowerBlock manual did not warn against this, and after returning 2 (sorry Guitar Center) amps that actually worked, I finally contacted Crate and described my setup. After about three days, they emailed me the new manual warning against this. So I had to install a plastic jack on one of the channels of my Avatar Cab.

Since I model, running into the Line In gives me clean power with very little coloring. It is easy to get controlled feedback with my Strat, modeler, and this amp at about any volume. The sound is repeatable day in and out, and I think I like it better than my Peavey Bravo (two EL-84s).

Excluding the operator error connecting this to a stereo cab I mentioned above, it has worked every time. Barely gets warm. Class-D amps like this don't have big caps, so I expect this amp to last a long time.

Even though I clearly spelled out my setup to Crate the first time, it took a couple of email exchanges for Crate to figure out my setup problem.

I've had a variety of tube combos and heads, and I'm going to stick with this for performing, and possibly recording.
I would replace it if stolen.
I wish it had a level control following the Line In.

Everything you need if you have something musical to say.
Fantastic features that number more than I have time to write about.

Sounds somewhere between a 40 watt Fender bassman head and a 50 watt Marshall 800.
It sounds like a great tube head and cleans up as such when you know
how to use your guitar volume.

5 year take it back policy. Its my main head now and I have no fear playing anywhere with it. They don't write that stuff to lose money.
They expect to last much longer.

Not needed.

If you can play the guitar this amp will make you happy. It has all the basic sounds to build from. I make a living recording songs and touring and you just kind of know when something is solid. I can play any amp I want and I say for the next 3-4 years this powerblock will be perfect as my live head.

I was greatly suprised at the number of features the PowerBlock had for it's small size.
It's a single channel 150W mono amp (or 75W/Side stereo). It has an XLR line out which lets me easily hook into a mixer for anything from recording to amping out a PA. Has a headphone output, but it doesn't cut off the amped outputs when you plug headphones in. You have to unplug them first. Also has RCA tape inputs and 1/4" L/R inputs. If you buy an insert cable the Left 1/4" in also doubles as an effects loop.

Don't let size deceive you!
I was probably like everyone who first sees this head, I couldn't build myself to believe it could compete with big Marshall's and other Crate heads in terms of power and volume.
I was terribly wrong!
I play everything from rock/alternative/hardcore/acoustic, etc. If you setup the EQ right and maybe pair it up with an external effects unit or preamp then the PowerBlock is capable of anything you may play through it.
Putting the gain to about half way still keeps it very warm and clean sounding allowing you to crank the level to deafening volumes. If you crank the gain all the way up and keep the level down, you'll get a nice warm overdriven sound. When the gain is at full there is a bit of hum, but that is typical with every single amp head out there.

It's solid state so there's no tubes to worry about failing or needing replacing. I'd gig it without a backup, and I do, it's my main and only amp head.
Works excellent as your main head, or for those who have something expensive already it's definitely a recommended inexpensive backup. Small and easy to carry.

Haven't had to deal with them yet - that's a good thing!

I've been playing for over 8 years and I've jumped around and owned/used many amps in my time. The crate is finally something I know I'll be using for a long time to come. It packs more volume than I'll ever need to use and I love it for the portability. Every feature on this thing is useful! I just wish they'd put reverb though, that's my only disappointment.

Very no BS type of head. Gain, Volume, Treble, Mid, and Bass on the front. Effects loop, balanced line out on the back. It's stereo and can be bridged to mono. But the best feature is it's size, weight and power. It's little and loud. Draw your own comparisons ;)......

As far as the loud part, It really ain't as loud as 75 watt stereo/150watts bridged implies. It's about like a twin. It is nothing like as loud as a Super Lead or a V4. However, I am running it into a 16ohm 2x10 (portability, baby.) If you run it into 4 or 8 ohm's it will be louder because it's solid state.

In short it weighs next to nothing, is very small, and comes with a gig bag. Just what you always wanted.

I could first tell you that for a solid state amp, it sounds really tube like, but this really dosn't make any sense. All tube amps sound different and this Solid State Amp sounds better to me than most current production tube amps. Why, tone center and touch sensitivity. This amp wants to sound like a bassman or JTM-45. If you ask for something else your not going to get it. Pegging the gain will give you more grind but it gets a little harsh for me. However if you want more grist in the will, it takes to pedals very well. As far as sensitivity it, compresses quite nicely and responds well to your picking dynamics with that bounce we all love. Volume knob reduction yeilds nice, controllable cleanup.

Having sang the praises of the Power Block, I have to say it does not sound or feel as good as my modded JTM-45. But when you factor in the features listed above, mainly size and weight, it is great. I give it an eight and I usually don't like anything.

Built like a tank, but I havn't had it long enough to form an opinion.
Oh, and by the way it is real cheap, so if it breaks out of warrenty, just get another one. It's cheaper than getting most stuff fixed.

This is a great portable head for that small, light rig you always wanted, and it could quite possibly be the worlds greatest back-up amp.
And, most of all like I said before, it's cheap.

The features are pretty much covered by others i.e. single channel, no reverb, etc., etc., light weight, "fun".
One notable thing I would like to say is that the tone and volume controls are very linear, inthat when you rotate the control knob thru it's rotational travel, you actually get a graduated change in that particular tone....nice.
As far as power, it is about equivelant to a 60 watt tube amp in terms of volume and headroom. I can easily compare it to my Reverend Hellhound in the volume department, AND....I wish it have just a tad more of the clean headroom. But don't get me wrong, the amp has some snort to it! And the tone controls are very active and useful.

I play a home made strat, comprised of a Carvin neck (love'em!!) Lace Transensor Pups, a Torres Engineering control package, and a green strat body I found on Ebay, Ash wood, I think. I also have about 13 other guitars.
The distortion is very even and nice for my tastes......I'm not a trasher. It is not noisy...that is until I hook up my Boss ME-33 multi-effects board to it.........grrrrrrrr. And like other observations, you can run the Gain up to 12 o'clock and still be clean. Between 12 and 2 you can get some very controlable overdrive...nice.

Too new for me to tell how reliable it will be. I do know that Crate made 10,000 of these units, so I would think the manufactoring standards would be sufficiantly high, therefore reliability.

I called them and actually spoke with a real humanoid.....asked a few questions.....blah blah. OH!! One question I DID ask of the Tech Support guy; Will the speaker output tolerate a 4 ohn load in the Bridged setting???? (Some guy here stated that he runs a 4 ohn load and that it runs OK without a problem) The Tech guy said that it WILL NOT function properly for long if you do this, and that eventually it is bound to fail or malfuncition. IN my experaince, TUBE amps will tolerate lower than spec impedance levels, but solid state amps are not so forgiving.........

I have been playing for about 35 years. I played in the service clubs here on Oahu during the peak of the Viet Nam era. I was 14. I've built Heathkit amps, etc,. etc., ....Currently I have 2 Reverend Hellhounds, a Fender Prosonic (Green snake), a Carvin Belair, an Ampeg Reverberocket,a Yamaha G100II, a Roland Cube 60 (newer version),and a 1950's Valco Chicago 51 (Funnnn)
If lost, I might replace it. I just bought it out of curiosity, really. Would be very interested to see what follow-up products utilizing the Class D power are brought onto the market. By the way, the chipset that makes the Class D power possible for us consumers are made by various manufactureres, and as a set they are very cheap....about $2.70 per set..It's that chipset that makes the Class D power possible.
I like the amp, as it is a new and refreshing item for the guitarists in general. FOR ME, I wish it had about 50 more solid state watts. THAT would really be a fine amp..MORE clean headroom. BUT, overall, this is a great value for the money. They are Wayyyyyyy affordable, quite loud, and they sound very good. Not maybe as good as a decent tube amp, but very very close, IMHO.
Email me if you like; Gary. kissingeg001@hawaii.rr.com

what we have here is crate's newest toy... features are actually somewhat plenty for such a small chassis...single chanel preamp, stereo effects loop, aux in, xlr - cab simulated outputs, the ability to run stereo or mono and 4.5 pounds. A nice padded carrying bag is included. If the preamp section had more features ( channel switching, seperate eq's) it would definitley earn a 10.....

I use this with various double humbucker guitars ( gibson, musicman, jackson, etc.) and single coils (stratocaster)... It sounds surprisingly awesome...probobly the most responsive " tubelike" solid state amp I have ever tried...Clean tones sounds top notch with a nice chorus and the dirt sounds are more classic rock...you want to play ac/dc riffs without cranking a plexi in your bedroom?.this is probobly your best bet... It sounds really good with a digitech bad monkey ( another budget item) overdrive infront of it...that will push the gain into a great metal territory...think of this amp as a light, compact , JCM 800 sound.. I bought it to run my podxt live through the effects return ( in mono mode through a 2x12 8 ohm cab for maximum punch and volume) it sounds real good...but...I actually enjoy playing though the front of the crate "barebones" much better..I really dig the responsivness of this little amp that the modeller falls short of....that and my stylings are leaning more towards classic rock/blues tones these days...

I have not taken it out of my home yet but it seems reliable...the chassis is metal, and the pots have a nice smooth feel...I will definitley bring this to all my gigs as a backup amp....

never dealt...but I owned a crate 2x10 amp back inthe 80's and it is proboby still ticking somewhere....

I have been playing for 20 years....I have owned Marshalls, fenders, and currnently mesas...I don't feel I am comprimising anything by using this amp as a "home jamming" rig... I was never the type to bring my halfstack into my living room and crank it to ten anyways.... I bought this as a lightweight backup amp and poweramp for my pod....I was pleasantly surprised at how good it sounds and now just enjoy it as a straight up barebones amp and "utility " vehicle! Crate has been hitting homeruns lately...there v-series , class A tube amps are great sounding , well built amps as well ( I have had a v15...killer little tube amp!)

The best match for this amp is a modeller or guitar workstation on the front end. I use a Digitech GNx3. This amp was made for it. On it's own, the features of the amp are serviceable as a backup or maybe better (see below about using a BBE unit). I've played it straight in with single coil and humbucker guitars and it is about as touch sensitive a front end as you'll find solid state. Crate thought carefully about the features and put in everything you need, except that the effect loop seems to be mono. If the loop was stereo and more intuitive I'd give this thing a 10. As is, it's a 9 for what it was intended for.

I play a lot of styles, blues, rock, jazz-rock (steely dan material, originals, some latin-influenced, country-rock (danny gatton!), crossover originals influenced by Edgar Meyer, and in my band, a bunch of old surf tunes to boot. This amp handles everything well. No apologies needed for the sound. I'm not going to compare it to my Fuchs Overdrive Supreme, that's not fair! But on it's own merits, it's very solid. Cleans are nice and the overdrive is usable.

NOW, how to make this thing a beast you don't want to stop playing! First, use a good modeller or workstation in front. I use a GNX3 and it really comes alive through the Powerblock.. the closest to the recording quality sound I get out of it, or through stereo headphones. This is a match made in heaven. I won't use the GNX3 live in front of a gainy tube amp like my Fuchs, it sounds harsh no matter how its EQ'd... i play pretty much straight in on tube amps. Different story with the PB, it's input circuitry works great. I've tried it both using the stereo line inputs and mono in the input jack. You won't get as much volume out of the line-in configuration because the gnx doesn't drive the power stage as hard as the internal PB preamp. I love some of the stereo sounds but for live use, you're better going in through the preamp mono and adjusting level and gain to suit. You can actually use a bit of the PB's gain with the gnx and it's very nice. LOUD in this config. No drummer will match this at full tilt.

Second part of the ultimate sound quest is to use a BBE "sonic maximizer" in the loop. Unfortunately, the loop seems to be mono only. If you run mono, no biggie. If you run stereo, I think you only get the benefit in the right channel. I A-B'd with the BBE in and out and was dumbfounded by the difference. I've used BBE in other situations and it's always good, one of those can't-hurt tools... but in the PB's loop it does the most amazing tightening/cleaning/sparkling job on the sound. With the BBE in I'd play the PB anywhere, and just might. I'm kind of a tube snob so I'm really surprised to finding myself say this. All I can say is you should check it out! This is the ultimate backup or mainline amp even if you have a modeller you like working with. I'm assuming that modellers besides the Digitech will work similarly well with the PB.

I haven't used this with Crate's GT112SL speaker but plan to get one and post on it. Currently I'm using an EarCandy Buzzbomb 112 with an Avatar Hellatone in it (it's a broken-in Celestion Vintage 30, fantastic!). Sounds GREAT.

On its own, the PB sound is a solid 8. With the BBE and a modeller, it's 10. I'll give the bare rating here.

Too early to tell. Should be fine because solidstate equipment lives a long time if it survives its early days. Crate gives a 5 year warranty on it. that's plenty.

Don't know but I also have a Crate Vintage Club 20R and they've been helpful with questions.

Blah blah blah. Playing a long time, sometimes semi-pro, never for 100% of my income. Always for fun. Lots of gear blah blah blah. Don't need to gloat. Listen, this amp is a must have if you gig with a tube amp. And, if you set it up with a modeller and a BBE, you may just find that you are using the PB INSTEAD of your expensive tube amp. Truly a work of engineering art, hats off to Crate, they killed this one!

No frills but has the bare minimum to get the job done. It needs to have a clean/crunch switch and either a presence knob or a bright switch. It has some nice features like balanced XLR direct out and a stereo effects toop.

I bought this to run my pedals through or use as a power amp for a modeler. The onboard pre-amp is mediocre sounding at best, somewhat dull. If it has either a cocentric presensce knob or a bright switch, that would vastly improve the clean sound. As it stands I have to turn up the treble for it to cut through the mix, but then I get this annoying transister radio ice-pick frequency. Problem solved with an EQ pedal. However, the lack of sufficient headroom is a problem. It starts to distort around 10 o-clock. I can get loud enough for a medium volume practice but anything more than that I have to crank the gain into distortion territory, which sounds like total ass on top of my pedals. The distortion circuit alone a bit on the shrill side, but is passable as a backup solution. I would give it a 5 for this feature.

As a power amp, it really shines I would give it an 8. It is virtually uncolored. For this, I'll give it an overall 7

I have experienced a problem where the power keeps clicking on and off, especially when I've had it in the car when it's cold outside for a long time. It happened at a gig. Luckily, the other band was kind enough to let us use their amp. I ended up bringing it back and exchanging it for another. So far, I haven't had any problems with this replacement unit. Knock on wood.

I went back to the seller who was an authorized Crate dealer via eBay. He made it right.

I would really like to see it have these things as push/pull pots:

* Pull Bright and/or a Cocentric Presence Knob within the Treble knob
* Pull Clean/Crunch on the Gain knob

I would also like to see this thing able to handle a 4ohm mono load.

I love being able to sling this thing over my shoulder and carry it back and forth to practice instead of my head. That in itself makes it worth getting despite it's shortcomings. For less than 200 dolars, you can't go wrong.

Everybody knows. It's light, small, cheap and loud.

I play a 25 year old Modulus Graphite Blackknife (strat) with EMGs. ...it's a Strat. I play bashy, original, alt-honky tonk, countryish stuff. (www.77eldeora.com) Mostly clean tones from light to rather aggressive. I use a Digitech multi-effect pedal between the guitar and head, primarily as a volume pedal and for reverb and occasional compression. (I'm using less compression, less often since getting this amp but that may be a changing taste thing). 12" Celestion.

This amp and pedal have replaced a 45lb, 4 space rack (ADA MP2/Microtube 200 power amp, Digitech multieffect unit, AC strip) and a midi pedal (ADA). I'm a lazy guy but I don't feel like I've had to sacrifice anything with this combination.

Play mostly bars, small clubs. Loud enough to play the clean tones with a drummer at full chat. It won't do full saturated metal distortion but I don't need that. It will still give far heavier tones than I need. I tend to use the gain between 12 and 2

I've had it a couple of months. Done 6 or 7 gigs and a couple rehearsals with it. No problems.

NA

I like it. I'd replace it.

I had to cover the obscenly oversized CRATE logo on the front with a piece of black tape. I cut a small triangle out over the power indicator.

I wish we could afford to produce amps like this in the US

This amp is simple but sounds awesome, and is super loud. I have never written a review before, but felt compelled to do so after buying this little gem. This thing is well worth the money. The clean tone is on the darker side, with a perfect hint of tube warmth. It sounds better than my Fender Twin, Peavey Triple X, and Line6. Did I mention that his thing is loud? I'm playing through two 2X12 Messa Boogie Cabs, and it's so loud it will make your ears bleed. The best part, as you turn-up the gain, it sounds similar to a JCM 800, and it blends perfectly with my modeling gear. Also this thing is deadly silient. No hum/ hiss/ or ffedback. No footswith or reverb, but who cares. I have a little Digitech Artist Series Pedal with a Vox Wah, and it sounds sick. Little hint. Put a decent EQ pedal in the FX loop, and a BBE Sonic Maximizer, and this thing is a virtual flame thrower. For 200 bucks, plus the cost of cheaper modeler, and the portability of the unit, is a godsend..Awesome.

Using Fender
Play Rock, Metal, Blues
Oriignal and Cover Bands

Its solid state. Hell buy two, and use one for a back-up. This thing will become a classic.

Not sure...

Playing for 20 years.
I generally hate CRATE products, but I would definetly buy another one. This thing is a classic.
Best value out there.
I think its perfect. Made to be used with a modeler, but holds its own when it comes to clean and dirty sounds.

If you criticize this unit for not having reverb or a foot controller I think you are being too hard on it. I could agree to a point, but really this thing does not need reverb, and I like the fact its simple, and super functional. Best of all its small, and you can bring it anywhere. It would holds its own at a club, or in a living room.

WELL DONE CRATE !!!!