Crate PowerBlock Head

Single channel solid state guitar amp with stereo power section.
75W/Channel (bridge to 150W mono)
Effects loop (doubles as stereo line in)
CD Input
DI Output

Bought this to power a talk box, so it only needed to be a one-trick pony. Plenty of power for this application (i.e., I can rattle my own teeth with it).

Clean sound is OK. Not a lot of life too it, but passable. Distortion is good, but not super high gain (think JCM-800). If you want more gain, you'll need some type of stomp box in front of it. With the gain at about 3:00, you get a real nice AC/DC crunch that cleans up nicely when you back your guitar down a bit.

The midrange control is very effective. Bass and treble controls are good.

Worked out of the box. Has gigged with me twice so far. No problems.

Haven't had to call anyone.

For the price, you can't beat it. It's replaced a 40 pound Peavey head from the 70's that I've been carrying around. I also love the fact that I've got a backup guitar amp that rides in the bottom drawer of my work box.

I can also see using this animal with my GNX4 workstation in a live situation.

I think the hand-written graphics on it are a little cheesy, and the blue power LED (while very cool looking) is almost overbearing (in a smokey club, you can actually see a beam coming from it).

Major points to Crate for including a great padded big with the deal (instead of charging another $20 for it like some companies).

Great feature set. That's why I bought it. I needed something to gig with that was lighter than my monstrous LANEY 120w head from the 80s.
Really useful as a power amp too. I use it as a power amp for a keyboard rig and its really good as a power amp for my sansamp bass rig too. Best 160 euros you could spend. Only one channel though... you need to have disto pedals...

Fabulously loud. Destroys the sound of the nasty (expensive) digital 150watt marshall head in the practice room. The tone is pretty dark, not much high end at all. I have the high knob at full but it alters frequencies that are a little too high. The mid knob frequency is too low! I way prefer it to a harsh marshall sound because I prefer the duller more tube like sound. It can't be mistaken for a tube amp but it is not far off. The gain structure is pretty bluesy but not saturated enough for real rock. It sound great with both my tele and my SG, although only the Tele has enough treble to pierce the mix. I strongly recommend pedals and especially, a EQ pedal.

The first time I turned it on it turned itself on and off loads of time and made a strange electrical buzz. I didn't return and it has worked fine ever since. Bizarre. I'm not the first to experience these quirks either. Maybe it's a weakness in the amp technology. Anyway, I'm scared it'll happen again one day...

I am considering buying another one to dedicate to keyboards. Imagine how cool it is turning up at a concert and your amp is tiny and it destroys the sound of the competition! This product is really revolutionary. It's changing the way we think about amplification. Can't get better than that!

I don't write these unless a piece of equipment impresses me. All the features you could ask for and more in a head less than 5 pounds. No FX, but an FX loop. Here I wish it was not "speaker simulated", or could be switched.

Reminds me of a MESA. Some say Marshall, but most would agree it's a very vintage sound. I am using it as a power amp for a Rocktron rig, and it is much better than a straight power amp for this. It will take a ton of voltage up front, 8 volts, and overdrives nicely. It adds very useful harmonics that help with that good controlled feedback. Reminds me of a MosValve Power Amp I had once in this regard. I do wish the FX loop could be switched to not be routed through the speaker simulation, or that it had 1/4" power amp inputs. I am using the CD/phono plug inputs because it's the only way to bypass the speaker sim. I started using it as a fill in while my power amp was being serviced, but I'm sold on it, I won't be going back.
If I were using it as a guitar amp, I would prefer the addition of a high mid, frequency sweepable knob. The treble is centered at 10khz. That's a bit high to tweak your sound properly. In fact 2 sweepable mid controlls would be ideal... Low Mid & High Mid.

good so far...

Multi-use box. It will be my spare guitar amp and my main power amp for my rig. I sincerely wish Crate would come out with a rack mount, power amp version of this thing... 75 watts X 2 and a 150 watts X 2. I'd buy one tomorrow. Go Crate, you have a winner here.

2006 model. This amp suits all that I play which is rock, metal and blues. One channel. Effects loop, headphone jack. Lots of different things you can do with this product due to all of the connection choices on the back. Can be used as a stereo power amp only, Single channel head, or used to power other audio gear. also a headphone practice amp which is very cool. I will be using it for all of these applications at one time or another. It actually completes my third guitar rig. Plenty of power, very loud. Warm sounding and transparent solid state circuitry. Very tube like. Basic and simple.

This amp really reminds me of a single channel Marshall JCM 800 head. Fairly clean distortion and the same kind of bottom end thump. Very surprising. Great clean sound is there when you want it. With the gain cranked you get basic hard rock distortion that cleans up with your volume knob. Alot like a basic JCM. Does not sound exactly tube like, but really close. Really close. Tone controls work well. Treble is a little weird at higher settings but can be tamed. Is very dependant on the type of cab used. A 4-12 is best. 8 ohms for full output. This sounds good. Loud enough for any gig you might have. Hearing damage loud. Easily competes with a 100 watt Marshall because of the 150 watt solid state rating. The extra 50 watts makes it equal to 100 tube watts. I like the tone. Can be built upon with the right effects to sound really good. I have turned it into a two channel rock head by using my Rocktron zombie distortion pedal. Sounds really chunky and fat with that. Great for hard rock and full on metal. Just back off the volume for clean. I really don't miss reverb as other reviewers do as I never use reverb. I prefer a dry sound. It cuts better and is fuller sounding when dry so lack of verb is not a problem for me.

Not had it long enough to tell

not talked to them

26 years of playing. all music. I don't know if I would buy it again. For the price I got it for it is a fantastic piece of gear. I love the weight and sound quality. Very cool amp

i guess this year 2006 it was made.Dont know how to date this equipment. The pb is good for the music i play which is blues,R&b,classic rock(with pedals).just one channel.simple solid state.I dont use the effects loop with my pedals ,no problems in sound.
i did wish it had reverb but for the size & cost i would prefer to use my line 6 verbzilla (as a really good reverb installed in the pb would change the cost and perhaps the sound performance)..SO far the volume hasnt been cranked pass 12 o'clock,plenty loud for the places i play..i work in small & medium size rooms on the average and bigger venues have sound anyway so i think i could use this in that situation also (as i havent yet,i really cant say).But with the proper tech & pa system i dont think there would be a problem.

i ues a warmouth hollow body swamp ash strat/with harmonis design pick ups...a 69 tele thinline with duncan vintage pick ups.. and a parker nightfly m when im feeling lazy..the power block is good for the music i play,which is blues,r&b,as i said before...in fact my mesa lonestar special took a back seat to this tiny amp....the mesa stays at home(cost me 1800 and this 99 dollar pb sounds almost as good). ive had alot of trouble with the mesa,which could be a whole chapter that doesnt pertain to this subject.there is some hum when it gets up to 12 but it may be the single coils and that 's not a problem with drums and bass going on. the pb does sound close to a tube amp and reacts to your picking very well...it's amazing..if cheap stuff like this sounds this good ,why are maufactures chargeing so much(to make money of course).who ever disigned this knows his/her shit.SORRY TO ALL THE TUBE GUYS BUT THIS IS CLOSE..Close enough to fool some good musicans( all of them pros here in st.louis) who have sat in on my sunday night jam session 's at a club i play..i hid the pb behind the speaker cab(the cab that goes with this by stl music, with the one 12 celestian)and every one of them commented on it's tone...and how good it was..then when they saw it was a little crate box,all of them were taken aback....now you must tweak this thing to what your after and use what ever pedal to go to different tones for what ever your playing..for blues i have the gain on 2'o'clock ( any higher i dont care for the distortion it gives,but some one will i suppose) treble at 12 or 1 or 2(depending on the room accoustics) mids 2 and bass at 9o'clock( i find the bass to not be as tight as i would like,so i dont crank it)..Then from there i use my guitar tone to change things to my preference....the amp responds to picking dynamics very well for a solid state..as far as pedals for the blues i either play straight through the pb with a fulltone fat boost(this really helps to get even closer to my sound) for clean ,if i want a litte break up i step on a xotic bb and for more i use a fulltone ocd..also use a chorus but not much unless we are mixing the set list..i always keep that fat boost on with the pb..just makes it sound bigger..NOW HERE IS THE BIG TRICK I FOUND...I TOOK A(STEREO) CABLE FROM THE SEND AND THE CD INTO THE LEFT MONO LINE IN..GUESS WHAT? THE STEREO JACK INTO THE MONO LINE IN "MUST NOT GO ALL THE WAY IN"..IT MUST JUST GO IN THE INPUT TILL THE FIRST CLICK(RING).NOT ALL THE WAY TO THE SECOND RING .THE RING MEANING THE LITTLE CIRCLE AROUND THE MALE JACK END AND NOT THE SECOND RING(WHICH WOULD PUT THE WHOLE JACK ALL THE WAY IN AND YOU WONT GET ANY SOUND). sounds like a hassel but it's simple and the sound and volume difference is alot...but if i didnt use that cable, the pb still sounds good.... but the way i am doing it sounds better to me ,thats all...and that ladies & gentlemen is the big trick to this thing(for me,lol). If any one out there has other ways to get a cool sound please e-mail me....

this is my concern as i havent had it long,made in china,was cheap..but hey 5 year warrenty..i dont care as i just bought another one as a back up and they both fit into the open back crate cab that its made for ...so if one goes out i ll have a brand new one to pull out ..this cut out me haveing to carry a spare amp (always have a back up)and saved my back from lugging that lonestar around with it's tempermental tube thing always going on...i just heard that some company bought out stl so i would think they would still back up the product..time will tell....

havent had long enough but i did have trouble contacting & talking by phone to a tech as i had questions about the pb..wish i could talk to who ever designed this thing....5 year warenty

been playing music along time ...1963....and after being in top 40 ,show bands ,rock bands ,backing up famous acts,and being on the road for 22 years..ive settled down and just play with my own blues band for a living here in st.louis...have had almost every amp out there at one time or another ..if lost i would use the back up and get another one...i like the tone of this pb and the power and the size..you wont believe the volume you can get from this..there is nothing to hate about the pb as it hasnt caused me any trouble yet...if it does go out on me at a gig or fries,it's so light weight. i could probably throw it a good distance into the mississippi..ill give it an 8 for what it is...and i have to say it's better sounding than any solid ive tried(vox ,line 6, all that crap)...and very close to a tube sound ...

An update... I've had the pb150 almost a year and learned a bit about it by experimenting.

For what it is, it's a 10. Compared to fine tube amp, it's not more than somewhere between 8-9 but that is fine enough! There has been some debate as to whether the speaker simulator circuit is applied when you have real speaker cabs hooked up. The diagram in the owner's manual makes you think it is. But blind test says it is not. You can verify this by testing the exact same effects loop combo and running the return to the amp either into the loop or into the cd phono inputs. NO difference. The diagram appears to be in error. All this hoo-hah because us pb owners often feel the sound is a bit dull and lifeless.

There are several things that will liven the sound of the powerblock up.

1) drive the input hard. It will take a big signal well. I've compared going straight in from singles and hums with going thru a clean preamp (i used the preamp in the yamaha magic stomp, which is pretty darn good). No comparison. A higher input level gives you more output (duh) but more importantly more clean and lively output.

2) don't be afraid to dial the treble and mid way up, and the bass down. the last bit on the treble adds a lot of sparkle... 9.5 is a long way from 10. obviously only applies if you need some brightness in your sound.

3) don't use dark speaker cabs unless you want a really dark sound. it's easy to get a dark tone from the block. getting something with "sparkle" is trickier but doable. the crate gt112sl that's meant to go with the block is a bit dark but works great for a heavy sound.

4) you may or may not like this, but you might find that putting a bbe sonic maximizer in the loop opens up the sound. I really like it but I'm lazy so I usually just do steps 1-3.

5) an outboard reverb in the loop works great for some dimension or splash.

I hope everyone who's experimented with the block will pitch in what they've learned. there is a LOT of potential in this lightweight wonder. I have some great tube amps (rivera, fuchs, musicman) but I find for practice I often run through the block. I always take it as a backup to gigs and would not hesitate to use it. It has a nice clean, handles gain well and takes effects well. set it up right and it will give you some great controlled feedback to wail with.

i've never had an issue with mine. for the manufacturing cost, you have to expect that corners were cut and i guess some folks have been bit. hopefully if it's going to crap out it will happen in warranty - so use it hard right away!

With the $99 blowout running now I don't see how anyone could go wrong, especially if you gig and don't already have a decent backup amp. this thing may surprise you.

I bought this amp new,recently, and was amazed at what it can do.I'm no kid, and have been working as a musician since 66'...... my real gear would piss all of you off, I don't have alot but my guitar gear is the dream team.....I'll play the game and let you kids cream.
Gibson GA 19 RVT amp(59-62?) all original
Gibson 2x10 stereo amp cab(mid 60s)
62' cream Strat
68 Martin 0018, added thinline pickup
mid 60s scandinavian jazz box,blonde single cut 1 p/u
What I'm using right now, with real basic effects,echoplex wah dist flanger



I know what sounds good for me. I haven't plugged a guitar into this cigarbox,only because I do studio work and about 50 gigs a year on guitar, and why would I bother.......I looked at this little rodent from the other side of the fence.......I make the real doughnuts singing and playing bass......You can look around and find my band The Staynz......we are in here.....myspace, etc......garage/surf......
When I tried this amp out in guitar center, I had the kid plug it into an svt 8x10 cab.......it pushed that cab like a shopping cart.....I'm using it with a 1x15 ported cab with a 300w 1X15 electrovoice.........40 gigs so far and no problem........I don't use it to hold my drink, or as a stepstool, I take it out of the bag and use it as an amp.......It makes a great bass amp.....Crate mimarketed this thing.....kids want quanity..........real guys want quality......And the little girls worrying about having the logo too big......give me a break! If it said Marshall you little twerps would be lovin it........ Little boys, live with a stripper for a year and learn a lesson.......a wallmart thong will rock your world as much as one by Lily St. Cyr.......its not the product, its how its used......Don't knock it learn how to rock it!

Like any amp, it says what you speak......try playing out of a different amp every night when you are on tour overseas.......you aren't carrying anything over there, oh, well maybe all of you with big record deals.....I use it high on the master and tweak in the volume......nice and clean with s/c bass pickups......

I've only used it on gigs.......no problem....I gamble, and thats all I'm carrying....if it blows out, I know our tech can grab another one...but it hasn't happened yet......my gear gets handled like it should........are you going to piss on your laptop?!?!?!?

No idea......runs great......

I think I went through all of this in the other catagories.....Anything I wish I had? Yeah, Danni Ashe as my housegirl!

HERE'S A HEADS UP: Do not waste your money on this product! It is build to break! Features already covered. Single-channel, solid-state, low priced piece of chinese junk. Size and weight is awesome though.

Sound quality was surprizingly good. Low noise, clean single. Pretty good for a cheap toy.

Owned 5 months when it crapped out. Opened it up, be careful, high voltage. The hot-lead contact inside the input jack had broken off, so, no signal. The metal was not much thicker than thick foil. Destined to break. You can count on other parts being close behind. At this price I had hoped it would last a year or two. If it had I would not be complaining. After all, you get what you pay for!

Did not contact.

P.O.S. Sounded decent, but died too young.

Its like a single channel tube head without the tubes. Gets pretty clean, or fairly dirty depending on the gain setting and your guitar's volume knob. Mostly useless effects loop (except for its big trick). Very compact size, awful huge CRATE logo on the front.

This works very well for all sorts of rock music, but is probably not as good right out of the box for super heavy music. It does respond well to pedals, so you could probably chunk it up a bit that way.

It is fairly versatile, though it has some limitations. Obviously you can use it as a single channel amp, and it likes pedals well enough. You can use it as a poweramp or as a DI box. It gets loud enough to use at most gigs.

Here's a trick: the speaker simulator is on all the time, even if you're hooked to a speaker cabinet. This is bad because it makes everything sound lifeless- even tube preamps, or tube amp slave outs. The trick is to loop out of the FX send and back into the CD input. I was both disappointed that I had to do this, but relieved that I could. This is one of those things that doesn't bother me on a $100 amp, but would on a $500 amp.

If I was using something like a POD into this, I expect that it might sound better routed through the CD inputs than the line ins. Just as you'd most likely disable the POD cabinet sims when running through a real cabinet, I don't know you wouldn't want to do it for the powerblock... or why they made it on all the outputs instead of just the non-speaker outputs.

I wish it had a switch for the speaker sim, I wish it had a level control that worked with the line-inputs (or was post-fx loop). I might be unhappy if it was $500, but it was $99. I really couldn't be happier with it.

No rating because it is tough to give a features rating for something that is a no-frills device. The features that it has are executed tolerably.

Honestly, I'm surprised at how good this sounds- after you bypass the speaker simulation. With the speaker simulator engaged and playing through a guitar cabinet, it sounds amazingly bland. Nothing bad, just no sparkle at all- dead sounding. Like a modelling amp, perhaps. Bypassing the speaker simulator as mentioned above wakes it right up. Its like a different amp.

It gets fairly dirty. Not dual-recto dirty, but more than just overdrive. It cleans up if you pick light and especially if you roll the volume knob back. It really retains its volume when you roll the guitar volume knob back. How'd they do that?

It responds well to pedals, so if you need some extra distortion, a boost pedal works well. Likewise, an EQ pedal set up for a loss works well to give you a faux "clean channel"

It is capable of pretty nice clean tones that grit up a little when you dig in hard. I like some harmonic sparkle on my cleans as opposed to completely clean tones. This will do pretty darned clean sounds, but the inbetween sounds are actually workable.

Its not a tube amp, but it is workable for a backup- and easily better than some of the modelling amps I've played. I think it compares very favorably against the Sansamp Trademark too. The response is probably better, but at least as good.

I play various styles of rock music, but nothing hardcore. If you need something with brutal amounts of gain, this amp will need some help, but it covers most non-brutal rock music pretty well.

I've played my samick RL/3 semi-hollobody (with humbuckers) and the av3 (tele-paul style humbucker guitar) into this amp with good results.

Noise is managable. There is a little bit of hum present, but its tolerable.

I've gotta give this an 8- If it cost $500, I still think the tone would be good, but obviously the lack of features would play into the buying decision.

This is my backup. :)

It looks to be pretty rugged, but its undoubtably cheap chinese junk. It would be a very bad idea to rely on one piece of cheap gear exclusively.

Try as I might, I don't see a customer service email on their website. That stinks. There is a phone number though.

I wonder if the build quality has improved after SLM was acquired by Loud Designs.

I've been playing rock music since about 1987- in bands and for pay since about the mid-90's. I don't make a living playing music, but I've played in front of a few thousand people a few times and played in front of less than a hundred people plenty of times.

My main rig is a 2xEL34 amp with a removable preamp that I built. I've been playing amps that I've built since 2000 or so and have never looked back. I've tried commercial amps here and there and while there are aspects that I like about some of them, I end up preferring my own gear because it just suits me better. A good amp just feels like an extension of the guitar and commercial amps often fall short in this department. The powerblock isn't a magic device, but for what it costs, its worth owning.

I've seen the powerblock in the catalogs for a few years and I thought it was a joke. When I saw that they were $99, I figured "there must be something I can use that for. Maybe it could be tolerable as a backup". I played a whole rehearsal with it a couple of weeks ago after intending to just warm up with it. Its more than tolerable. Its highly tolerable. :) I think you can do a lot worse if you're just looking for a straight-ahead single-channel rock and roll amp.

For the record, I end up hating a LOT of gear. I send back about 90% of what I order because things always seem to end up sounding like garbage. Some things would be acceptable if they cost less, some things aren't worth a dime. This is a rare item that is worth more than I paid for it.

If it were $500, I'd still think it sounded pretty good, even in comparison to $500+ amps. No, its not as good as a nice tube amp, but its highly tolerable. If it were $500, I'd be more irked by its limitations. What limitations? OK, here goes:

The speaker simulator is on all the time. This makes anything running through it sound slightly dead. Theres no sparkle at all. Fortunately, this is easily solved by looping out of the FX send and back into the CD input. Try it. It really brings the amp alive.

The FX loop seems mostly useless as a loop. The master volume is before the loop, so if you're trying to play loud, the loop may have too much signal for whatever is connected to it. I don't usually play with reverb so this isn't a big deal to me. A good amp that is playing with me has a way of making a lot of effects unnecessary. For me, anyway.

The loop and line ins share jacks and it requires external cabling magic to get at the loop. Space saving, but irksome.

The line-ins bypass all of the controls, which means you've got to have controls on whatever plugs into this. That's not necessarily a huge problem, but I sorta hoped that at least the level control would work. I also hoped that the line-ins might still encounter some sort of tube power amp simulation, but no such luck. All of the tube faking is in the preamp.

The GIANT C R A T E logo on the front is OBNOXIOUS! :)

With all this said, it works pretty darned good as a single-channel backup rig, or for someone who doesn't want to spend a bunch of money. If I had to play a gig using this, a modelling combo, or a POD, I think I'd use this. It's almost like a real amp. almost.

At $100 it is an unquestionable fantastic value.
At $200 it is a solid value
At $300 it would be a good buy
At $500 it would be a feature-poor amp that had good tones.

you know...

greatttttttttttttttt when works... later on that

Well this is where i am dissapointed with the amp. I has 4 of them, all second hand, with receipts of purchase (for warranty purposes), and less than 6 months old. This is a great idea done wrong. First one that i had did turn on but then after 1 month of usage did not sound, sent to crate and supposally they reapir it, after 2 months get back to going dead again...get a couple more because i love his product , but all of them after 10+ gigs the level control goes intermitent after position 12 oclock , or i will say scratchy, used the anti scratchy spray(thats how i call it) and does not help it.
I think crate should improve the quaility of parts of this product and raise maybe $ 50.00 on the price ( i hope the new version is an improved one)... And not give a 5 years warranty instead. I will pay the xtra money to not have to deal with warranty issues...

When sent to repir the first time was ok, but it seems the tech did not fix the problem completely...

I love this product hope they fix it...

You already know. The one thing I'll mention is that the stereo inputs on the back are after the volume control (as well as gain and EQ)in the chain. So if you plug in a POD or something you must control the volume with the POD. None of the controls on the front of the amp work if you use the stereo inputs on the back.

I'm embarrassed to say how much I like this thing considering the number of $1000+ amps I own or have owned (I just bought this for kicks since it was only $99 on sale at GC, I have pedals that cost twice as much as this head). Just plug into a Marshall 1960 4x12, crank the gain and bass, mids at about 5, highs at about 4, with volume about 5-6 (very loud). Perfect rock distortion when you dig in. Back off the guitar volume and a great semi-clean sound. The distortion is perfect for blues or rock type soloing but shredders will want more gain. It is a total misconception that this is made primarily as a power amp for effects. It sounds perfect plugging straight in. It does a perfect AC/DC (which is way less distorted than many people think). Keep in mind also that it will sound way different using a cheap 1x12 than it does with the Marshall 4x12 cab.

Too early to say.

Purchase date sept. 29, 06
Price paid 99.95 (new)
You know all the features. What a great product for 99.95! Still a bargain at twice that much. I bought this as a back-up in case my main rigs ever go down (I work in two bands with two independent set-ups;pretty much the same rig, though. I do utilize a Vox modeling pedalboard (which I love!) and run it through the effect return of the amps. I do the same with this as well. It has more than enough juice for me to hear myself so it doesn't matter whether it's "as loud as a tube amp" or whatever that old argument is.

Using it as just a power amp is great. Nice transparent power. As a guitar amp through the front it does an adequate job and would get you through the night (with your overdrive pedals and delay units, etc) in a fairly convincing manner. I wouldn't make it my first choice but it could save my ass.
I generally use fender and gibson style guitars for playing classic rock (a pretty wide variety) and original stuff, as well.
It's no more noisy than the signal your'e feeding into it; shit in..shit out.

It is my back - up.
Just got it so I can't remark about its reliability.

Never dealt with the company before.

Been playing since '75. I've owned more gear than I can remember. I pretty much refuse to sell any of it any more, too! (I've sold some Les Pauls in the past and could kick myself in the ass!)

I won 18 guitars at last count; 8 of which I've built in the past couple of years. Much more economical and just as good as the shit that major manufacturers are asking you to spend 4-5 times the amount of money on. I've always been a tube amp man.. until the past several years when modeling took a big step forward. Of course I am still running them through the back of tube amps which doesn't hurt, but quite frankly I don't hear any difference with my vox going through this bad boy (crate)

I Like the size, weight, balanced line out, sends-returns, line level adjustment, etc. I don't need bells and whistles and don't use pedals. Good power (150W mono or 75W stereo). I currently play in two blues bands and when we do an outdoor or big stage job I wasn't getting the stage coverage or presence that I wanted from a 40W, 1-12 tube amp. The PB150 with a Celestion loaded 2-12 cabinet took care of that.

I'm using Strats, standard Teles and an HB loaded Tele. If you turn the gain up (8-10) high with too much high band it makes some very offensive noises. Too much of any one thing (gain, high, mid, low, level)can/will alter the tone drastically. If you "massage" each band and the gain/level to match the guitar in hand you can get anything from a Tweed Bassman to a JTM45 to a modded Band Master with smooth break up or really punchy, clean tones. The amp itself is pretty quiet considering that I use mostly alnico single pu's.

I've been working it pretty hard since June and haven't had a problem yet. I gig 2-3 nights a week. If I'm travelling further than 20 miles from home, I always carry a back up.

Good Warranty (5 yrs). I've had other Crate/SLM products and always found the support to be very good when needed.

Been playing professionally for 37 yrs. Current amps include Line6 Flextone, Yamaha JX65, 64 Fender Deluxe, 67 Fender Super Reverb, Musicman HD130, Laney and Crate. I would (and probably will) buy another Crate PB150. I don't want to have to depend on "vintage gear" out on the road. Some DSP reverb might be nice on a future model. If you place it on top of a speaker cabinet with a top mounted handle, the head tends to rock back and forth because the rubber feet are too short. Not a big deal but an annoyance anyway. People that cannot play without effects will not like this amp. I think it's pretty cool.

No reverb and not enough mojo to pull it off. A Champ doesn't have reverb either, but come on, does it really handicap it? This thing is so dead and dry without some reverb or delay. Sure, it's very small, but that goes out the window when you have to take along a reverb or delay effect.

This does not sound like a tube amp. It really kills me reading all these reviews that say "this thing had me fooled". B.S. If you have a 100 watt tube amp that you can only play on 2 (I have a 50 watt crate VC5212 that I can only play on 3 or 4 in most cases) then you are not driving it hard enough to get tube sound and any solid state amp will give you the same sound, duh! Get your hands on the aforementioned 6 watt Champ, put it on 10 and then tell me how close the powerblock comes. It ain't even the same thing. Ain't no f**kin ballpark neither.

Seems well built. Didn't own it long enough to find out.

I read the reviews and bought into all the hype and now, a few weeks later, in's gone on the bay. It is probably ok for what it was designed to do. It will probably be ok to run as a poweramp for a POD, but for real men (and ladies) who can create their own sound with an amp, a guitar and a few choice effects instead of by pushing a button and choosing an amp sound, this thing is better left to the teenagers who equate high volume with good tone. For the $200 this sells for, plus whatever you would spend on a cabinet, get yourself a nice 5 to 15 watt all tube combo that would kick ass. Then when you've saved more money, get yourself a Super Reverb or Bassman, or, if metal is your thing, just sell your guitar and go away, there are enough of you. We don't need any more.

Features are very handy: cd input, mono effects loop/stereo line input, output to mono or stereo speakers. 150 or 2x75 watts. Impressive for this size. Speaker emulation on line output (for direct recording) and headphones output.

I use it conecting into effects loop with with my Zoom G2 and Boss Flanger and then mono balanced into Edirol UA 25 soundcard.

To bad there is no balanced output for stereo, but you can do this from headphones with the stereo-to-mono cable.

And yes, it is a single channel amp head.

Sound is quite warm for a d class amp. Distorsion is useful, maybe to polite, but I use it from the effects loop anyway.

I have G&L Tribute ASAT guitar with two large single-coils, and my it translates really well through my rig. Beautiful clean sound of G&L stays that way, distorsion and fuzz is convincing.

Mind you, I didn't try this head through the speakers, as a home producer this is no neccesity to me (yet).

Its light, but sturdy feeling. I don't gig so it won't break.

Not needed and not applicable (Croatia).

This is very useful peace of kit for practicing and recording guitar. As a home producer I really don't need more for my set-up, and soundwise, I also couldn't ask for much more.

I maybe miss one more channel with a switch, and a stereo XLR output, but there are workarounds.

The price is almost double the one in USA, but still increadible value.

Very Nice Little Amp 150 watts of power. I really love it a lot. Very simple.

I use it with a 4x12 Mesa Boogie Cab. Sounds really good. I use the Line6 AM4, DL4, and MM4. It sounds good even without the pedals. I had to sell my 3 Channel Mesa Head, I wish i never would have but I tried this little power block out and it's really cool. Pushes the cab really well. It's no Mesa or Marshall but it's well worth the price and sound quality is really good. If you miss your tube amp and are poor like me, get it you'll like it.

Super Strong.

Have not used Customer support.

Go get one if you cannot afford a good tube amp at the time. It will work just fine.

alot of in/out options,Gain,3-band EQ, Master Vol, CD input - you'll know all the features. Nice small box fits in the back of an open cabinet (with carrying bag)

woow - this small tiny box rocks!!! its loud enough to rock with a full band and brings out a nice, dirty Rock n Roll Sound - maybe a Tubescramer or any other Distortion for more heavier sound needed....
Tried it with my POD XT in front and in CD-Input but thats what really disappointed me - this is (X)tra(T)hin Sound. Compared with the basic sound of the Powerblock !!! -> sent it back to my dealer NO Good for PODs!!!
But as standalone with a cabinet - give it a try

built like a tank - cool softbag included

3 Years Warranty.

i wanted to use it with my Line6 POD - that didnt work so i returned the thing - if i was in need of an amp only i kept it

I bought it on eBay, apparently used, but effectively brand new new - the guy said he was broke and needed the money. I guess it was probably made sometime in 2005...
If you're reading this, I guess you know what this amp is about and what it offers in the way of features.
Having said that, this tiny little amp is pretty much feature-packed. What?s missing?
I generally use single-channel, non-switching amps, so the lack of channel changing is not a problem - not only that, but this is the most responsive solid state amps I've ever used, so riding the guitar's volume control and/or using pick attack is all I need.
Someone else complained about the use of a stereo jack for the effects send/return and yes, it would be better to have dedicated send and return jacks, but given the size of this box, I?m not sure where you?d put ?em!
The size, the weight, the general design, the price - and the fact that that dinky little gig-bag is included in the price - are all huge plus-points.

I play blues, using a variety of guitars, but mainly Strats and Teles and I must say I am very impressed by the Powerblock.
I bought this amp because I was intrigued by the look of it, its general concept and the fact that it was so small and so cheap. My thought was that I would carry it as a spare amp (it fits underneath the passenger seat of my car) for use with guitar, bass, PA monitors or whatever.
I usually hate solid state amps, so I wasn?t expecting too much.
The reviews were the clincher, but I doubted it would live up to the hype. Believe me - it does!
This amp sounds better than some tube guitar amps I?ve played through. The sound is remarkably transparent and ?valvey? - responsive to volume and pick attack and generally quite ?organic? sounding.
The tone controls are very responsive and really do allow you to shape the sound to a degree which is perhaps a bit alien to those of us wedded to tube amps. Very impressive.
Running it up through an 8-ohm Celestion-loaded 2x12 cab, it was reasonably loud. It delivers its full load into 4 ohms, and my guess is it was probably punching our about 120 watts. Everyone knows that 120 solid state watts is nowhere near as loud as 120 tube watts - a FenderTwin would wipe the floor with this for clean volume, but this amp is plenty loud enough to gig with, especially when you wind in a bit of gain. And in many ways, the Powerblock actually sounded sweeter than most Twins I've used.

Obviously, it sounds rather dry without effects, but then so does your average old Marshall head or Fender Bassman! I tried the Powerblock with my trusty Peavey Valverb (1u rackmount tube-driven reverb and tremolo unit) and it really came to life. I also tried it with a couple of digital fx units and it seemed to cope pretty well with those, too. All in all, it's a superbly well-thought-out and brilliantly executed piece of engineering on a budget that?s hard to believe.

I also plugged it into a 4ohm 8x10 bass cab and gave it to my bass player to use at a rehearsal. When he?d stopped falling about with helpless laughter at the sight of this tiny little box, perched atop a monster cab, he plugged in and was astonished at what a good bass amp it made. It needed a surprising amount of front-end gain to get it working (still running pretty clean, with an active bass, I hasten to add), but once we?d tweaked that, It sounded great, with plenty of volume and no shortage of range in the tone controls. In fact he loved it so much, he now wants to buy one and use it with a small cab for home practice and small gigs!

I wonder if Crate have any plans to market something similar, but with twice the power, specifically for bass? If they did, they?d surely clean up and put Mark Bass and the like out of business!

I?ve not yet tried it as a PA amp, but I have no reason to doubt it will do this job admirably if I ever need it.

Not sure about this, since it?s too soon to say for sure.
After all, this is a cheap amp that?s packed with features. Logic dictates corners must have been cut somewhere, though it?s hard to see where, looking at the amp. It?s very solidly built and the fact that it will spend its travelling life in a padded bag suggests it probably can?t come to too much physical harm.
The switch-mode power supply makes it very light and compact, but it?s technology that has yet to prove itself completely in guitar amps, so that must be my main worry.

One point about switch-mode power supplies...
Am I right in thinking they?ll operate on any voltage, within the normal range of worldwide mains supplies (ie 110-240v) without adjustment?
If so, this would make the amp even more useful.

One more query:
The handbook refers to the fact you can use the balanced line out to turn the amp into a recording preamp. What it doesn't stipulate is whether you need to have headphones, or a speaker load connected to stop the power amp blowing up. I'm assuming not, since the manual is otherwise fairly comprehensive, but I'm not sure I'd want to take a chance!

Nothing to report - never dealt with them.

This is a totally incredible piece of equipment.
It looks great, sounds very good (probably too good to keep as a spare amp, to be honest), weighs next to nothing, costs very little and is extremely versatile.

Crate deserve to have a huge worldwide hit on their hands this with amp. It is truly amazing.

I bought this new a couple of months ago. My main reason to buy this amp was that it's an easy package to carry to the gigs. It seemed perfect as a backup amp because of it's size and it's still very powerful (150 w mono / 75 per channel stereo). It has only one preamp channel but the amp cleans up enough when I turn down my guitar volume, I have no need for the second channel. I think it has all the features I really need, just a basic amp with gain, eq and volume. I like this simple setup but I think that for most of todays young players the preamp section of Power Block gives just too little choices. Anyway if I want something more I get that with the stompboxes.

Unlike the previous reviewer said that there is no usable effects loop in Power Block - well, there is effects loop but how usable it is I can't say 'cause I haven't used it. But I guess it does the job. There's even possible to use stereo effects in that loop if needed.

This amp can be very loud, far louder than I ever need. Even if my band have a loud drummer there's not a question if I'm heard. I use the amp in mono mode (150 watts into 8 ohms) with a Marshall 4 x 12" cabinet. My main amp is a Marshall Jubilee 50 watt tube head from the 80's. Maybe I don't have to mention that Marshall does it better, but this little amp comes not so far behind. Especially, if we talk about price, size and weight, power and sound the Power Block is an excellent value for the money.

I play loud rock'n'roll and punk-style stuff. I mainly use Gibson Les Paul Special with P-90 pickups, and sometimes also Tokai Stratocaster with stock singlecoils. Power Block and the P-90 pickups are a very good combination together to my taste - it gives grit enough to the sound but still doesn' get muddy. If I want more briht sound with less distortion I get it with the stratocaster. Both guitars works fine with this amp. I also use Ibanez Tube Screamer TS10 if I want more sustain and punch.

For a solid state amp it responds well to dynamics. I use gain in about 3 o'clock and eq to taste. If I want less gain I turn my guitar's volume lower. If I want more gain I kick in the tube scremer. Power Block seems to like stompboxes, at least the ones I have. The amp's eq really works well too.

My setup gives not a big variety of sounds but it gives me the thing I need. The amp has plenty of overdrive on it's own if the gain is full up but maybe not enough for metalheads. Clean sound is the territory where this amp ain't on it's strongest at the high volume.

I don't find this thing too noisy. Of course there is some hum when you have the gain and volume turned up but that's normal with any amp. That doesn't disturb me.

I've tried Power Block with Behringer V-Amp2 -modeller connected to the loop's return, but that wasn't my thing. The V-Amp gives a nasty digital touch to the sound and the dynamics get lost. So the problem is in the V-Amp, not in Power Block. Maybe some better modeller sounds better with the Power Block, but I like to keep it simple. I'm not interested to play with those digital toys anyway.

Until now after a few gigs and rehearsals it may be too early to condemn. This was supposed to be as a backup amp for me, but I've used it as main amp on few gigs now without backup and it's been working well without any kind of problems. So far so good, you should never trust blindly on these things. Anyway this one seems to be well made.

I haven't had need to deal with the company.

I've been playing guitar for about 19 years. I've had / have a few amps after I've started playing. The first amp was a solid state Marshall 5210 combo, then came Marshall Jubilee 2553 head, Ampeg VT-60 head, Fender Blues Deluxe combo, Koch Twintone combo and now this Crate Power Block. It is quite funny looking setup as you have Power Block in the top of a big 4x12 cabinet, but the sound and power kicks ass for everyone who's mocking on it.
I could say this amp is a very good change for the money. If you need a basic, healthy sounding rock'n'roll amp for a little money, this is it.

I wish that is had an out of the box, useable effects loop. Other than that the features are OK

Sounded OK in the store. Not good, not bad.

The thing never really turned on. It would just cycle on and off, the led flashing slowly. I got sound for about a second, then nothing for another three seconds. Any product that has problems like this brand new is not going to go on stage or even to practice with me.

How can people give this a good rating for reliability when they had to return two or three?

The manual is 4 small pages. No real information, no help at all.

I was really dissapointed, although not surprised. When I bought it, they had to unbox one because the floor model didnt work. I wanted an amp to practice with until my Mesa comes in. I only needed a loud clean sound. I was going to keep it for backup, maybe a stereo rig using its poweramp. I love the concept, the portability would be great. Unfortunatley it is a 200 paperweight.

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 !!!!

pretty basic, single channel with gain, standard eq. it's got a nifty effects loop function through a trs input that i have yet to try. its not very fancy, but it does what it does well. the only thing i'd want is some on-board reverb. the size of this thing amazes me, though. it's smaller than my laptop, which is awesome because i can now put it on the floor with my pedalboard and run everything through to a cab with no mess.

i play a prs mccarty with stock humbuckers most of the time, and this amp is a pretty good match. my other amp right now is a 40 watt marshall tube combo with a clean channel and a gain channel with boost, so i'll use that as a benchmark. i tested these two back to back, putting the crate through the speakers on my friend's 2x12 marshall combo. clean, the crate sounds great at lower volumes, which is great for jazz gigs. the gain texture is very tube-like, kind of in between marshall and mesa/boogie, which i really dig. highs are very well articulated without being too piercing, and the mids are nice and creamy. however, the low end lacks clarity and there isn't alot of headroom. however, the sound is fantastic compared to the price. this amp is the most tube-like sounding solid state amp i've ever heard.

i would definitely depend on this. i used this as a backup amp at a gig after i got it and the other guitarist i was playing with had to go through the crate and direct into a keyboard amp. i was playing wit hthe aforementioned marshall combo, and the crate cut through perfectly-in fact, i think it sounded better than my marshall at some points. and the thing's built like a rock and can take different power voltages and currents. definitely a keeper.

got it off ebay, so i wouldn't know.

this amp is great. it's already proven its worth to me, and i think i might actually start using it as my main amp. i play with alot of effects and textures, so being able to manipulate my amp very easily is becoming pretty important. i would definitely buy it again. the sound could be improved, but for the price point, i'm all for this baby.

This was made in 2005. One channel, no frills head.

RCA inputs and headphones jack. I use it either with a Tonelab SE or some stompboxes (Boss DS1 + Behringer EQ700).

The headphone feature wasn't even on my mind when I bough this thing but is fantastic. I play covers and it's easy to play along to the CD, dial in the sounds with the Tonelab and then have the same sound in the rehearsal room.

My main guitar is a Fender Stratocaster Plus with Laces and a SD Quarterpounder. I play in a cover band.

Basically, you get gain good enough for AC/DC but that's all. With a little less gain, it's possible to get a slightly compressed and very inspiring funk sound. The clean is a far cry from my Bassman 50, but the price of this amp is less than the bi-annual service and tubechange for the Bassman.

Using only TS-1 stompbox model in the Tonelab I'm still shocked by the sound. Then it's close to fantastic.

I never gig without some kind of backup solution.

I left the amp in the car for a day at -3 deg C and at reharsal night it wouldn't start. After being plugged in for almost 10 minutes it woke up and then worked perfecylt normal.

That scared me a bit. Its been dead reliable otherwise.

After the incident with the cold I contacted Crate Support, they answered prompt and nice.

I stumbled on this thing by accident and bought it untried and unheard. Basically, I'm between 'real' amps - just sold a tube head and was looking for another. But I found I'm nearly falling in love with this toyish amp.

Clearly it's doesn't sound like a tube head but its soooo nice to not have to lug around 20 kg's (~40 pounds) of amphead. Its really loud. With my 4x12 it shook the floor and made the alarm go on in the room next to our rehearsal space.

I absolutely love the headhpone feature, to dial in sounds and replicate them at rehearsal. Thats perhaps the best thing, to have the same sound at home and at rehearsal.

As a companion to the Tonelab SE it's good. I think a poweramp would be useful too but I find almost always that some overall EQ is needed.

But if this was available as a 'linear' head, Tech21 Power Engine style, it would suit me better. But that's another story. If a 2-amps-into-one-cabinet switch wasnt so increadibly expensive i'd buy another to get a two-channel head!

Trying to sum-up, I own a lot of expensive gear, but this little thing is now my main amp and my opinion of Crate has taken a total turn. Well done Crate!!!

SAME AS STATED BY OTHER REVIEWRS. i AGREE IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE REVERB,BUT IF YOU USE PEDALS,ESPECIALLY MULTI EFFECTS UNITS LIKE A BOSS GT-8 OR SIMILAR IT REALLY IS NOT AN ISSUE. ALTHOUGH IT`S RATED AT 150 WATTS, I WISH IT HAD EVEN MORE CLEAN HEADROOM. IT COMPARES TO ABOUT A 75 WATT NORMAL AMP. AND I USE 2X10 JBL E11O SPEAKERS

I PLAY MOSTLY GIBSON`S ( ES-345.PAT MARTINO,ETC), SO I`M USING HUMBUCKERS. I REALLY LIKE THE BASIC TONE OF THE AMP, AND I`VE OWNED QUITE A FEW AMPS( HIWATT,MARSHALL,FENDER,MESA BOOGIE,CARVIN,EVEN 2 DUMLBLES). AGAIN EVEN THOUGH IT`S FAIRLY LOUD, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A BIT MORE CLEAN HEADROOM.

THE AMP WORKS GREAT,ALTHOUGH IF SEES TO HOT OF AN INPUT IT WILL SHUT DOWN MOMENTARILY. I`VE USED THIS AMP W/OUT A BACK UP AND NO TROUBLE FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS.

CAN`T COMMENT, SINCE I`VE NEVER DEALT W/ THEM BEFORE.

I`VE BEEN PLAYING 31 YEARS PROFFESIONALLY. AND AS I GET OLDER I`M REALLY GLAD TO SEE THE STRIDES BEING MADE IN HIGH QUALITY GEAR AT GREAT PRICES AND MORE IMPORTANTLY SMALL PORTABLE AMPS.

I think the features have been stated often enough for others to know what this amp is about. The only feature I wish it had is a some type of digital room reverb. Other than that this baby is the ultimate in conveniance. Great at Band Rehearsals, as it has RCA inputs I could plug my MP3 player into to review tunes my band covers. I run this into a 4x10 Ampeg Cabinet and it sounds great by itself, however I have started running my Pod 2.0 into the Line inputs in stereo, and now it sounds unbelievable. I also run it into the matched 1x12 Crate Cab which is also sounds nice. Really Great Product. I play Classic Rock. The amp has plenty of power but only when driven on the inputs. Not a lot of clean headroom without a volume boost.

I play a Fender Standard Ash Tele with stock PUPs mainly, also a Strat Plus with Lace Sensors and a Burns Red Special with Burns Trisonics. All sound great. Have not tried my Gibson Explorer yet. I use a Boss EQ as a lead signal boost. I am very pleased with the portability and convenience of the unit. This amp sounds outstanding just by itself. Very tubelike dirt which disolves nicely when the guitar volume is eased back. The distortion is usable for Classic rock crunch, but an external pedal is needed to get the smooth sustain required for some lead work. I mostly play single coils though it and I am sure a moderate to high output humbucking pickup would make a world of difference here to how intense it breaks up. I mostly use it as a power amp now that I am learning how to use amp modeling units for my sound. This amp is fairly quiet unless the gain is cranked and even then it is not bad compared to others, and nothing a noise gate can't mitigate.

So far so good. Comes with a nice padded Gig Bag. Does not seem to get very hot, and I run it for hours.

I own three Crates and so far no problems with any of them.

Been playing 27 years. Current gear is listed at

For a part time musician, having to come home from my day job, and run out of the house to rehearsals, this is the ultimate value. Just sling the gig bag over my shoulder, get in the car and go. Also love watching people's reactions when they see this little thing on top of a speaker cabinet and watch their expressions change as soon as the first chord is played though it!

Only thing missing is reverb although if you play into this by itself there is enough presence to make up for the lack of reverb.

You know the specs

I enjoyed the Strat into this pluged into 1 X 12" cab. Sounded great. BUT I bought it to plug the acoustic into. I plug up a pair of Carvin 810 two way speakers and plugged in the Martin and the sound sucked. Hi freq crakle and buzz. I thought the speakers where blown. Plugged Martin into Samson amp into same speakers no problems just louder acoustic.
Has any one tried Bass into horn loaded cab?

Won't work for me.

See reliability

See reliability

I had the amp for about 3 weeks. I had put maybe 20 hours on it:10 as a guitar amp, 10 as a studio monitor amp (mixer to RCA inputs, sounds the same as my Alesis RA100. To be fair, I am using 2-way 8" Jensens from 1982 for the studio monitors. Great speakers, but not near field monitors.) I was trying a different application of this "swiss army knife". I was using a Vox Tonelab into the effects loop. After playing for about 10 minutes with the Tonelab/Powerblock set up, white smoke started to flow from every orifice. Not mine, the amps. It was the smell I noticed first. You know the one. The death of an electronic gizmo smell. I quickly turned it off and unplugged the power cable. Smoke continued to come out (at a decreasing rate) for about 3 minutes. I returned it the Guitar Center for a new one. (See customer service) I have used the new one as a guitar amp, and the reference monitor, and I have used it on one 10 song jazz set. No troubles. I am a bit nervous about plugging in the modeler. If the new one fails, I will be disappointed as the amp in a terrific idea and functions well when not billowing white smoke. Maybe it's a hidden smoke machine feature...

This is about the gear behemoth, Guitar Center. They are not bad overall in my experience, but it took me about 3 weeks to get the new amp. Are you trying to tell me that GC can't call St. Louis Music and get an amp drop shipped that same day? They made me come back and pick up the replacement. They refused to ship it directly to me pro bono. In other words, "we will need to charge you extra to make you a satisfied customer. So you bought an amp from us that failed, you will have driven here 3 times to purchase what you wanted, and we will do nothing extra for you as it might add $5 to our product cost. We would rather have you vent on Harmony Central about us. We are just department managers, we lack vision. We are lemmings packed into shiny metal boxes (name that tune). Would you like to buy some strings?"
I know what you are saying: "dude, they're huge, what do you expect?" OK, maybe you don't say, "dude", but that's the idea right? I know I sound whiney. I know its pie in the sky. Sorry for that, but they will give us what we will accept. I'm weary of it.

If the new one continues to work in all its miriad ways, I will love it.
If it cooks like the last one, I will lament the near amazing product that SLM didn't quite get right. And have to make yet another trip to GC about this product.

Cool ins and outs. Basic front panel minus reverb. Purchased through Musician's Friend. Comes with the padded bag, which is good quality. Cuts down on shipping materials, too which is great. The class D power is also a very efficient choice. If you're a global warming activist, buy this amp.

Best all Solid State guitar amp I've heard yet, but still not quite there. Played (150 watts bridged mode) through an Avatar G212H cab with Eminence M12's, An EV 1X12 Cab (handmade), and an Eminence 1X15 cab (handmade). Used a '62 strat with seymour duncan vintage replacements. For pedals had a well connected board with Dunlop wah, Boss CS-2, Marshall Bluesbreaker #1, Ibanez TS-9, Danelectro tremolo, Danelectro delay, and Ibanez RC-99. The amp was much noisier with pedals than I'd expected. Lots of hiss and garbage when pedals were on. Not so much you couldn't live with it, but compared to my 50 watt Music Man head (from the RD50 112 combo) it was noisy. Pedals might be better off through the effects loop. The amp had more noise when simply turned on, with or without pedals than my MM50, also. The tones are excellent from this amp. Flat out clean is great, mid level gain is creamy, and flat out gain is cool, too. Like a Marshall Plexi. I bought it to be clean as hell with a little grit to it. It achieved that but the lows were very undefined. Powdery, in fact. I could not get it to match the definition in the lows and quiet running sounds I get from the MM50 head through the two bigger cabs. The highs sound a bit sizzly. It has a SHITE-LOAD of power, though. It's a very good amp, but I had high hopes for it to become a modern, efficient, and low maintenance replacement for my Music Man. For the money it's one hell of a good guitar amp head, but it didn't satisfy my needs. If a later revision is voiced a little better, with tighter lows and smoother highs, I'd buy it again. It's ALLLLMOST there! :-)

If my Music Man is a 9 through a quality cab like the Avatar, this is a 7 through the same cab. Fender Deluxe would be my 8. 10, where are you???!!!

I'd use this head over many.

I had to return it the first time because the input jack broke inside of 20 minutes. I think it was a fluke. Go easy though, it sits at an angle. I think it's solid.

Lots of emails to Crate techs. Very supportive. I think they are the real deal. This amp just didn't meet my needs/expectations.

It's really, really good. Better than digital. But not quite solving the solid state problem (as I see it). Very natural sound, but not the same. Not close enough for the road. Close enough for $199 and a small club though.

Submitting this to ask a question of the other owners of this amp.

My Powerblock head has developed a 60 hrtz hum that's not tied to the volume controls - that is, if the amp is on, the hum is present at the same level no matter where the controls are set. It's quite low, not intrusive yet, and doesn't come out through headphones.
****
I am disturbed because I've had this amp since June, and I've never noticed this hum before.
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I tried different outlets and surge protectors, and I compared this to two other transistor amps plugged into the same outlets, a twenty-five year old Roland Cube and a 15-ish year old Dean Markley practice amp - Both were dead silent when idling.
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I should mention that this amp has never been gigged, if fact it has never left my living room.
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Has anyone else experienced this background hum?

OK, we'll see. At this point I'm rather dubious. I really love this amp. It sounds great, and takes up very little space. I had never bought a Crate product, this was my first after 25 years of playing guitar and bass.
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I was NOT happy about buying a 'Made In China' product. I debated this for about a month, but after trying the amp and loving it, I decided to give it a shot, despite my reservations about chinese quality, their trade practices, and the fact that their labor force is basically captive. If, as I suspect, the power supply is faulty or going bad, this will be my last Chinese manufactured product for guitar (and likely my last Crate).
****
Can't seem to escape the ubiquitous chinese manufactured "disposable" DVD players, which seem to fry after about a year, no matter what brand they are. The other low quality home audio/video products from China DO NOT foreshadow great future reliability for this guitar amp.:

Crate's website has been down for nearly a month...although I suppose I could call them. [I dread the feeling I'd get that all purpose
run-around answer, "they all do that," or the other one - "for the price you'll just have to live with it." ] In all fairness, I can't email their site while it's down, and I haven't contacted them by phone or snail mail.
****
I sent an email regarding a different new product a few months ago, and I got no reply.

I've been playing more than 25 years. This amp is a great product, IF IT LASTS.

Features have been well described below. I just want to say that I have been playing through this for 2-months now. I really wanted to give it a Hell of a work-out before I commented on it. Anyway the Features are very usefull, lord they only other thing that would be nice would be a two-chaannel foot switch? Probly be on the next Power-Block. Lord you have to leave room for some kind of improvment.

Sounds Awsome. I never though the day would come when a Amp be produced that is THIS CLOSE to tube dynamics. I STARTED with tubes as a kid, have used them since 67. Anything solid-state. digital, anolog was ALWAYS a hard sell to me! I stopped at Guitar Center to pick-up some strings and a friend of mine who works there, said I should jam through this awhile? I just looked at him, he was serious! So I plugged a Strat in and started jamming, no effects, no-reverb! Man did this little Crate Power Block sound good with the Gain around 2o'clock with that Strat. So I picked up a Faded Les-Paul with Burstbuckers. Sounded really nice. Next a LP-DC Faded Special w/P-90's. Man that Crate sounded like it was made for P-90's. It got better and better and better! At that point I new I was buying it. So I bought the head. And [I have a few cabinates] with various speakers and speaker configurations. Now although when I got home the amp still sounded good. It didn't sound as good as with the Cab that is voiced for it from Crate with a special designed Celestion speaker. I fooled with variuos combo's and wound up goiung back to GC and buying the Cab. I got home and presto the great tone was there again. If you LIKE CLEAN TONE'S1 This amp with its matching cab sounds wonderful! In another room you wouldn't tell if it was tube or not! Daisy chaining effects in front of the amp are not as nice as noise free as I would like. The effects loop in the rear requires a few piece's and a visit to Radio-Shack. The effects loop is Stereo! So you have to set-up a 1/4 inch converter that switches from stereo to mono and adds another outlet in the process! A little to much junk added into the signal line creates NOISE! I wound up going back to the daisy-chain and switching to another OD pedal since my Tube-Screamer was to noisey with it. I wound up finding a DOD Juice-Box in a pawn shop that worked just right with it [no-noise] So that a EH Reverb and a 535Crybaby and thats it!

This is part of the reason I waited to do a review on this Amp. I really had the impression it wouldn't last. [My gut feeling] I even took out a extended warrenty for two-years from GC just in case there's a problem down the line. I feel the Switch or the input jacks will break-down with time and use. I could be wrong and this is pure speculation. As I said I could be wrong, but I doubt it!

No idea, never used them.

I love this Amp. If its any indication of where we are headed with non-tube amplifiers, I am delighted. It sounds awsome and has been very dependable to date. The clean is awsome and as lond as your not trying to reach Dual-Rectifier OD then you will like the gain. The gain is equal to what some-one below said, a JCM-900. That was a good comparison. I use to play through a JCM-900 and when I got the Crate home and really started to jam with the Gain pushed-up. That is what it reminded me of a JCM-900. I hate to give products a TEN. I believe there's always room for improvement. But I got to give this a Ten. Its the first NON-TUBE amp that I really enjoy playing through day after day. I practice at home with the Crate and take it on road as a back-up to my Fenders. I love Fender-clean. So when I say this is a nice clean sounding amp, believe me it is! Oh and remember you will need a Reverb unit with it since there is no reverb on this head! But it sounds good dry too! LOVE THIS PIECE!

It's new, obviously. The features have been outlined below/before, so I won't bother. Although it functions as an amp head, I'm using it to power my Adrenalinn into a Boogie ported 1X12" for smaller stages, and it's AWESOME in this capacity. I'd give it a 9 as a power amp and a 5 as a "real" amp, so here's a 7...

Since the Adrenalinn 9is an amp modeler (among other things), it doesn't really matter what guit I use - I've played it with my American Deluxe Fat Strat, Ibanez Jem 7VWH, Ibanez AXQM-something-or-other, Epi SG Custom, it's pretty much the same story: TONS of clean headroom in the 150w bridged mono mode, and sends a great tone to the house via the XLR line out while powering my cab for onstage monitoring. Really effective. As an amp, the distortion tones are edgy, but not over-the-top enough for what I do. Again, for clean power I'd say 9, but it's own "voice" rates about a 5. So it's a 7.

Too soon to tell, but it seems fairly bulletproof.

N/A...there's a warranty, I'm sure the terms have been covered already.

I've been playing for 27 years (please don't tell my label how old I am). This isn't as harmonically rich and complex as my old, OLD Mesa Simul-Class 295, but it also doesn't weigh 60 or so pounds and/or take up 4 rack spaces. My stage tech is very happy with the substitution, and I've gotta say, I picked this up just for the price/versatility/convenience but I'm really beyond thrilled with the sound of it as a power amp with my "regular" rig:

Multi amp rig - one side is a 50w Marshall JCM 900 (clean channel, everything dimed) with a TC Electronics G-Force in the effects loop, the other side is an ART SGX 2000 (on the "tube clean" distortion setting, don't knock it till you've tweaked it - but I will admit that it's the only remotely passable distortion in the unit) with an old Digitech IPS 33B pitch shifter in its effects loop - pretty much only used a a doubler, which it's awesome for if not overused - which is tempting to do) - this side used to go thru the Boogie 295 but now goes thru the Crate.

The Power Block does a reasonable job as an amp head, but you'd most likely want to put a "real" distortion/fuzz (my Z Vex Fuzz Factory is especially nice) in front of it - you'll get a better distortion tone, plus then you'd have sort of "virtual" channel switching, since the head doesn't do it. It does clean so well...

And cheap? Come on...what a value. Even if you picked it up to have a last resort backup amp - it'd more than suffice. An awesome product. I won't give it a 10, just because that seems too ass-kissy. I'm really digging this piece. Highly recommended if you need clean power, esp for an amp modeler since it sports that bitchen XLR out it also doubles as a direct box. I'm gonna give it the big 1-0 here

The specs are better outlined above: gain, master vol., bass/treble/midrange tone controls w/ input jack and headphone out on the front panel. BACK panel has stereo and bridged-mono speaker outs (up to 150 watts at 8 ohms available), TRS line inputs, one of which doubles as an effects loop, stereo RCA inputs, and balanced XLR output. This is a BRILLIANTLY designed product!

I bought this to use as sort of a 'Swiss Army Knife' backup for gigs. It weighs five pounds and takes up almost no room among the survival items I carry to gigs. However, it's a (1) great-sounding backup guitar amp, (2) a BASS amp, with the proper speaker, (3) an active direct box (patch into the line input and out the XLR), (4) a stereo-to-mono-balanced converter for either 1/4" or RCA jacks, (5) a headphone practice amp, and (6) a stand-alone guitar preamp for direct recording. It would be easier to list the reasons why one should NOT have one!

I play classic rock, variety rock, jazz and/or country, depending on the gig and band. I use a Roadhouse Strat, a Squier '51, and a couple of USA-made Peaveys built up with DiMarzio pickups. This amp seems to like single-coil pickups or humbuckers equally. The clean sounds are very useful; the distortion sounds are, as noted elsewhere here not heavy-metal-gainy, but good and sustained, with an open midrange, good for AC/DC or Bad Company-type sounds. The amp is a little hissy at very loud volumes and high gains, but what isn't?

Five year warranty. I truse Crate will take care of me, based on comments from a repairman friend of mine who's worked very successfully with St. Louis Music. I've had this for only a very few days, but have played it for several hours, both for home practice and a band rehearsal. It runs cool, is very loud. I anticipate no problems using this for my intended application(s).

I've never needed them. I've spoken to St. Louis Music about other concerns and have always found them very helpful. Again, a five year warranty. Since most products either fail right away, or never, I think is both safe and fair on their part.

I don't know if I'd use this as my ONLY guitar amp, but it's nice to know that I could! For it's intended multi-tasking, I hope to never be without one. Yes, I'd buy another. A built-in digital reverb would be neat, but would defeat the idea of having a bone-simple plug-and-play device. The effects loop works great, and the sound with a Peavey digital delay pedal in the loop is extremely good.

This amplifier I believe is a 2004 model. It is a basic, one-channel, 150 watt mono (or 75 watt stereo) solid state amplifier that weighs only 4.5 pounds. It has controls for gain, volume, bass, middle, and treble. The controls are easy to use and clearly indicated in large block lettering. This head does not have a lot as far as features go, but that is okay by me! The low rating for this category is not any negative reflection on the amp, just a truthful representation of how many features are inherent in the amplifier design.

I use an Epiphone Les Paul Custom fitted with an EMG-81 bridge pickup. It is important to note that I plug the Powerblock into an Avatar 4x12 cabinet with Eminence V12 speakers. Contrary to what others have said, metal tones are possible with just this amp alone. I can get an extremely good metal sound out of this amp by turning up the gain full. I can also get a very good clean tone by just turning the volume knob on my Les Paul from 10 to about 4. The eq knobs on this amplifier are very effective. You don't have to max out any of them to get good sounds. (On the contrary, I have found that all of the knobs on 5 produces a very good sound) The distortion characteristics I would describe as being Mesa Boogie Rectifierish, except without the annoying "fizziness" that Rectifiers seem to have inherent in their gain structure. There is plenty of low end from this tiny monster of a head. Overall, I like the sounds coming from the powerblock. Classic rock/alternative to metal tones are possible if you know how to set up your gear.

This, my friends, is where the shit hits the fan. I received my Powerblock from Zzounds.com last Friday (9-23-05). I opened it up, turned it on, and everything was fine. I was thoroughly enjoying the tones that I was getting from the head. After I stopped playing, I put the Powerblock in its accompanied gig bag. I had a gig the following day. Fast-forward to the gig: I open up the gig bag, plug the Powerblock in, and the worst thing happened: IT DIDN'T WORK PROPERLY! I turned it on, but then it suddenly turned itself off, then back on again (with the power button engaged, mind you). This pattern repeated continuously. Bear in mind, that I had only had the amplifer for one day, this being the second time I plugged it in. I had not dropped it or left it out in the rain or anything like that. I pride myself as being very careful with my equipment and taking good care of it. Myself and my other guitarist tried about 6 or 7 different outlets in the place to see if it was an electrical outlet problem, but no. I have a Shure wireless, and I tried the Powerblock both plugged in with and without the wireless, but it made no difference. (I tried out my wireless on out other guitarist's rig,and it worked fine) It is also very important to note that I plugged the Powerblock into my Furman Power Conditioner, so power issues shouldn't happen. My other equipment (Boss NS-2 and Boss TU-2 with the PSA 120T AC Adaptor)worked fine with the Furman Power Conditioner. Thankfully, another guitarist from another band let me use his head for the show. I am at wits end as to what caused this to happen. I have since contacted Zzounds, and they are sending me a new Powerblock to replace the defective one. Hopefully, I just got a lemon amp, and that this is not a problem that is inherent in the design of the amp. Has anyone else had this problem with their Powerblocks!??!!! It seriously bums me out, because I like the amp so much. I will submit another review when I get my new Powerblock, and have had it for awhile.

I have never dealt with the company, so I cannot comment on their customer support. I can, however, comment on the customer service of Zzounds. They have been very helpful and friendly regaring my fiasco with my first Powerblock, and I am getting my new Powerblock tomorrow. (9-30-05) They seemed genuinely concerned about my well-being as a customer and apologized for the fact that I got a defective product. I would hope that Crate's customer service would be just as friendly and courteous, but I don't know for sure.

I have been playing guitar for about 10 years. For, guitars, I also own an Epiphone Les Paul Studio Gothic (w/EMG-81) and a Yamaha Telecaster Copy. For amplfiers, I also own a Marshall Mode Four and a Marshall Valvestate VS100 1x12 combo. I also have a Furman PL8 Power Conditioner, Boss TU-2 Tuner and Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor, and a Shure PGX-14 Guitar wireless System. Overall, I really liked the sounds of the Crate Powerblock. In my opinion, the Powerblock is the best product Crate has ever produced. (A lot of their other amps suck big time) I liked the sound, the portability aspect and also the modest price tag. If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely buy it again. I will post another review after I get my new (hopefully defect-free) new Powerblock. Great product, just hope that reliability will not be an issue in the future.

Not really a whole lot of features, but it does have everything you basically need on an amp. It's got an FX loop, a line out (with it's own level control), choice of stereo or mono out, a CD input jack, and a headphone jack. It's one channel, one master gain, one master level, and a three band EQ.

This amp has PLENTY of power. It's LOUD. When I crank it up full while hooked up to my 4x12 cab, you can literally feel the air blasting you from the speakers. Seriously ear splitting levels.

Does anyone really need to be told that it's a solid state amp? I have no idea where they'd fit the tubes otherwise. Although I have to say, this thing honestly sounds like a tube amp.

I've been playing this amp with mainly a schecter C-1 elite that has two humbuckers which can be split to sound like single coils. If I use the neck single coil, roll the gain to slightly above the halfway mark and scoop the EQ it makes for a great Hendrix clean tone. That clean tone that breaks up when you hit the strings hard. Perfect for playing songs like Little Wing and Castles Made Of Sand.

But mainly what I play is metal and hard rock. This amp on it's own doesn't really have enough gain for those styles. If you crank the gain all the way up the best you can get is like an old AC/DC type of sound. But when I hook up my digitech rp300a, well then you can pretty much get any sound you need from it. This thing works great with my digitech, it's like a perfect marriage. I would imagine it would be the same with a POD too. Bottom line is, if you want high gain sounds you'll need an external device to provide it. A stomp box, FX processor, whatever.

Overall, for the price, I'm freakin' amazed at how great it sounds. Waaaaaaay worth the price.

I'm not going to rate this because I've only had the amp for a few days. But it sure does seem strong. It's built well, tight and compact. No tubes to replace. I've had it cranked at full and it never gets hot. Ever. Not even warm. Haven't had any problems yet, but if I do I'll come back and write another review.

Haven't needed it.

You really just can't beat this amp for the price. I bought this at guitar center, and it was literally the last one they had. They said they've been selling them like crazy, and that doesn't surprise me at all. It's great for people just starting out because it's so cheap, and it's also great for seasoned giggers who need a cheap back up amp. And lugging it to gigs is a freakin' breeze! It even comes with a padded gig bag that you can sling over your shoulder.

This Amp is a fairly new product.

It is a solid state single channel amp with straight ahead bass, mid & treble controls with an adjustable input gain and master volume. I only ever use one type of sound so its great for my needs. It has an fx loop, but you need a TRS cable to use it. It also has a headphone jack & xlr output which are both cab simulated.

One of the coolest features is it has a switching power supply so it is lightweight & can be used at any voltage worldwide without an adapter.

I haven't used the amp too much yet. So far I have just been using it for guitar through headphones & it actually sounds pretty good. I intend to try it for direct recording soon - for both guitar & bass. I did quickly try it through a 412 and it sounded very good, more on that below.

I don't see this amp being enough for "clean" tones at high volume. It does get pretty loud when the input gain is all the way up. I'd say the distortion is similar to a JCM 800. Pretty good for rock and roll and VERY tube like. If you pick lightly or back off on the volume the sound clens up nicely. Pick harder and it is a warm smooth distortion. Using it with a '77 strat, the tone of the guitar really comes through nicely.

The amp is rated 150 watts at 8 ohms. I played it through a 412 cab and compared it to my Ampeg VH150. The VH150 blew it away for depth & volume, even though they are both 150 watt amps, but the tone is - dare i say- identical... with the VH150 being able to produce a heavier distorion. The powerblock seems to be less noisey than the VH150, but that may be because the VH is old or simply due to the higher input gain of the VH.

I tried a soldano pedal in front of the powerblock & it was very beefy, but noisey (that pedal is noisey to beging with). I am going to try it with a "clean boost" type pedal and see if I can beef up the input gain without all the noise. Don't get me wrong, the distortion sounds killer, I just like MORE!!! I have not tried this thing out with my band yet, but I am guessing it will be slightly underpowered. But with PA support and monitors it probably would do just fine. I am giving it a 9 because I WANT MORE DISTORTION!!! otherwise it would be a 10.

Its brand new. I think it will last.

No need for service, but the SLM service dept is tops.

I have been playing 20+ years. I own primarily Ampeg & Marshall amps. I dig the sound of tube amps & I think the powerblock's tone pulls it off. It doesn't have the depth or volume of my nice tube amps, or even some of my solid state amps, but its a friggin' 5 lb amp. For the price, features & killer tone I think this thing is a fantastic value. But if you are looking for a super loud amp that will make your ears bleed with screaming volume levels... this isn't it. I really like the tone of this amp and was pleasantly surprised that it was coming from a Crate amp.

2005 Crate Power Block head is a great small light-weight back-up head for those using not so reliable tube amps. There are not a lot of features on the front side (not even reverb) but some nice surprises on the back panel where you'll find an effects send and receive, RCA line in, stereo and mono speaker outs. It has a headphone out on the front panel so it makes a good 2AM practice amp. It can be overdriven but I'm not a distortion expert so I won't pretend to say whether the overdrive is any good. I can say that the clean sound is excellent with plenty of low end punch and clear highs. The amp has 150 mono solid state watts which performs like 85 tube watts. It's good and loud without breaking up.

I use it with Fender guitars. I used the amp patched to 2-10 4-ohm cabinet with a loud country band and I barely missed my Twin Reverb. It is extremely noise-free. I only use occasional distortion from a stomp-box so I can't review the amp's overdrive.

Can you depend on it? I'm purdy confident that I can but I haven't had it long enough to give a confident answer.

Would you use it on a gig without a backup? It is my backup.

This amp is very rugged. It stayed very cool even when I patched it to a 4-ohm cabinet that was below the suggested 8 ohm load for 4 hours of play. It has a 5 year warranty but I don't know the fine print on that.

It's a great back-up head. I love that it is so small and light- weight and sounds so good. I never have to worry about my tube amps failing again at a gig. I only wish it had a mono 4 ohm out but because it worked so well with a 4 ohm cabinet, I won't take off a point for that.

Very basic. Tone knobs, gain, and level. But, on the back, it's got a lot of nice options. XLR line-level output, 1x8 ohm or 2x4 ohm (stereo), level control, effects loop, etc. For what it is, it's great. Wish it had reverb. But at this size it woulda been digital reverb, so no big loss.

Sounds great. Has a very spongy, warm feel to it. It has a certain "dark" quality to the sound that I find a tiny bit boomy or maybe not as "full band" as my other amp. But keep in mind, my other amp is a Tone King Comet 20, class A tube amp. This Crate is absolutely amazing for what it is. And to counteract the "darkness" I can always play with the EQ and even use a pedal if needed. Sounds great. Is rewarding even if not identical to class A tube. Close enough. I love it.

Seems rock solid. I used Crates as a kid about 15 years ago, I like them.

No clue.

It seems HIGHLY functional. Throw good speakers in front of it and I am sure it could be a serious workhorse. Get it EQ'd right and I am sure you would have a hard time telling the difference from a tube amp if you were in the audience. Come on people... this thing is a great bargain that does 95% of what a way more expensive amp does. And the size thing... it's just so cool. I hope it turns into a classic. It is a fun amp to play through and it's hard to see how they possibly made this little thing so fun. But they did.

I'm using the power block throgh the effects loop as a power amp for my Pod XT Live. I play in an oringinal pop/rock band that plays small to meduim size clubs, and the power block is more than able to handle it through my Peavey 2x12 cab.

As I stated above I play pop/rock and use 2 Raven RM 2000, my main guitar has PRS Dragon pickups and the other has a '59 Seymour Duncan in the neck and Dimarzo Super Distortion in the bridge. The power amp functions exactly as it should, no noise and lets the preamp do its job. Also the front end is usable in the event my preamp were to blow up at a show.

So far so good, eventhough it only weighs 4.6 lbs it seems to be built very solid and when not being played should stay protected w/ included paded carrying case.

N/A

I've been playing for 19 years on and off, more on over the past 7. I've owned various Fender, Peavey, Line Six, Vox amps as well as Gibson, Fender, Epiphone, and Raven guitars. If this was lost or stolen I would absolutely purchase it again as it does exactly what I need it to do in a very compact way. I paid a net of $55 for this at Guitar Center in S. Fla with trade ins of a few effects that have become obsolete since buying the Pod XT Live, and I believe the combonation of these two products are a great match.

brand new baby head. has more features on the back panel than any classic head ever did.no reverb,but like the danny gatton quote,turn it up and it doesnt need reverb.

im playing my vox phantom and a strat with single coils i think the head is the best thing since sliced bread and a bag of chips.i have bought a second one after my buddy had to trade me for no 1.if you need ac/dc or skynrd type sounds or any thing less gritty ,then this will do it and for cheap.what ever cab you have it will sound good thru it.ive personally played gigs with 2x12 vintage 30s.2x12 75s and a little cab with 15 emminence bass spkr. all sounded good.also my friend played bass with a ampeg one 15 bass cab with me on a gig with no problem keeping up.

dont know but for the money if i get a year even out of it ill be happy.

never used crate before.

been playing bar gigs since march 1981. and have used everything.

Minimal features, well covered below. Wish it had reverb, but where the heck would they put it? I'm using an el-cheapo Zoom RFX-300 for reverb, or compression, or enhanced cab simulation. The effects loop layout on the Powerblock is rather convoluted. The manual does not clearly instruct on how to return in stereo, which is silly because it is a stereo amp (when you want it to be). I figured it out. The "speaker simulation" on the headphone out could be a bit better, but it's an amp not a "modeling" device. I haven't used the XLR line out yet, but I intend to - it was a *major* selling point- ALL amps should have one IMHO. This amp is replacing a 15 year old Gallien Krueger 'MLE' which has many more features, but does not sound nearly as good without "help." The Powerblock is a wonderful small, light weight, basic amplifier for those of us who don't need multiple channels or an over-abundance of knobs or blinking lights.

I am an aging punk rocker. I play punk, and I attempt "classic rock," "blues," and "jazz" when the moods strike me.
I have a variety of guitars, all cheap, modded with replacement pickups (mostly Dimarzio Fast Tracks, Pro Tracks and some Carvin humbuckers). This amp seems very quiet - meaning there's no extraneous noise from the gain stages. The controls are all very wide ranging and well voiced. As stated below, the gain tops out at around the range of an '800' series Marshall - if I need more gain or more variety, I've got plenty of money left over for pedals - I think this amp was a bargain. Solid cleans through to a usable, basic, hard rock overdrive/distortion. This amp isn't "boutique tube amp nirvana,"(or any other ridiculous "vintage this/vintage that" bullshit) - Then again it probably cost about as much as a set of replacement tubes for an average single channel 100 watter. I think the Powerblock provides adequate power for most small/medium gigs - but, hey buddy (to the guy a few reviews below) - you've got to use the correct speaker complement - you were expecting a hell-of-a-lot from this amp and a cab with two 8" speakers.

We'll see. Ask me in 15 or 20 or 40 years. I've got a Sears tube amp from '68 that I got with the original tubes a few years ago, it's still going strong - I hope this Crate lasts as long, then all my illegitimate children can fight over this as they're settling my estate. The Powerblock seems well designed and constructed - I wouldn't have bought an amp made-in-China just because it was cheap.

No Idea about Crate's customer support - I bought the amp from Guitar Center, if something goes wrong (within a reasonable period of time) they'll hear about it first...then I'll contact Crate.

I've been playing since '79. I still suck, so it goes. I had twinges of guilt over buying a made-in-china amp, but that is diminishing as I use this amp more and more. I have "many" other amps to choose from and have owned "many' more over the last 26 years, this is my "go to" amp now. I'm not interested in impressing other guitar shitheads by lugging ridiculously large, fragile, expensive, back-breaking equipment around.
I should mention that the gig bag this amp came with is "way cool."
AND- HEY CRATE! WHERE'S THE BASS VERSION? (I play bass too, when necessary).

New incredibly small solid state head. It has 150 watts mono, volume, gain, bass, middle, and treble knowbs, an effects loop, and a headphone jack. It is crazy small, light, very powerful, and appears to be well made. Not very versatile, but it's not supposed to be.

I've played it using a strat and a prs single cut. It is capable of being very loud, and has more clean headroom than a Vibro-King or a Super Reverb. I know, because I've A/B'd them side by side. An earlier review mentioned that it didn't have a loud enough clean sound - I suggest getting an 8 ohm cab with efficient speakers and it will have more than enough clean headroom. I'm using an Avatar 2 x 12 with celestions. It does begin to distort heavily at about half way up on the gain knob.

Its voicing is fenderish for the cleans and low gain sounds and morphs into Mesa Rectifier voicing for the medium gain sounds - huge amounts of bass and rather unrefined. It never really gets into the high-gain category.

It has a clean sound that is first rate - not first rate for a cheap amp - as good as many high-end amps. I compared it to my 68 Twin Reverb with JBL's, my 66 Super Reverb, vintage Marshalls, a Vetta, and others, and it still sounded great in that company.
It has about as much gain available as a JCM-800, and it seems to take the pedals I tried it with quite well. I really like its sound with just a little bit of grit too. It can do an excellent SRV range of sounds.

This is sacrilegious, but I spent 1/2 an hour A/Bing the Powerblock through an Avatar 2x12 with Celestions to a Vibro-King. Not exactly an equal comparison, the speakers are quite different from each other, the Crate is 150 Watts, and it has a master volume. Oh yeah, the VK also costs 10 times as much.

The vibro-King has more treble- a lot more, and a more of a sparkly high end too. At drummer volume (with the VK's treble at 3) the two sound quite similar, believe it or not! The are both punchy, snappy, and have a wonderful singing quality to the notes. The VK has a bit more of a tweed sound to its break-up. It's organic, but a little ratty if you get carried away. The C sounds a little darker and more modern in its gain, and has more gain available. If you turn the treble up too high on the C it can start to sound synthetic too. The C also is capable of higher volumes than the VK. They both clean up using the volume knob equally well.

Before you think I'm an idiot, I'd rather have the VK - It looks cooler, smells like the real deal, and has great reverb too. However, if I were playing live and didn't have a roadie, it would be a tough call. The C is the size of a transistor radio (minus the speaker cab), weighs 4 pounds, seems very durable, and costs as much as a fancy cable.

I've played some very bad Crates before, and a few OK ones too. I also have a collection of amps that I can use as a reference point. I must say, I think Crate came up with something remarkable with the PowerBlock.

I would love to see some "expert" tone connoisseurs do some BLIND testing with the Crate and some high-end amps. I'm a tube snob, and other than this amp and my Vetta, all my amps are high-end tube amps, but I must admit, this little thing has me scratching my head.






Nevertheless it is remarkable for how light, small, powerful and inexpensive it is. I think its a great back-up amp, and has alot of potential for clean, low-gain, and POD applications.

I've only had it for a week - it looks indestructable.

Never dealt with them.

It is a remarkable amp, and a bargain.