Crate VC6112

I own a 2000 Crate VC-6112 and did the minor mods recommended below by JIMBO and I strongly agree. If you want Vintage Crunch and tone without the overly hyper gain buzziness DO IT!! I bought a lot of old NOS tubes and replaced the two 12AX7's on the left and WOW - now the TONE knobs are much more responsive and I can turn up the gain without descending into 80's hair band noise. This is a nice amp. Of course mine has a Celestion G12 Classic Lead 80 speaker (I got lucky) but the preamp tubes really open up the tone on this baby, I also picked up a 12BZ7 like he sugggest but I haven't tried that one yet - I am so happy with the tone right now I just want to enjoy it.

With the the minor tube and speaker upgrades - I give it a 9. Having separate Bass, mid, treble, and presence and boost switches for each channel is just a freaking luxury no other amp under $1000 gives you. And I can compare this to my 1983 Lee Jackson Rivera Fender Concert Ampa and my Fender Deluxe Reverb RI and my Marshall Studio 15 - so I have some decent amps to go up against. The cleans are NOT as chimey as my Concert but nothing is... still they are very nice and jazzy and thick. The EL34 tubes in mine give a different sound than 6L6 Fender tubes - sounds awesome with my 1981 Les Paul XR-1 Dirty Fingers pickups, baby!

I hear some of these have transformer problems but I think that is more the 2X12 and the 2X10 versions - from what I see there are a pair of massive trannies in this baby - just feeding one 12" speaker - can't imagine overheating that bad boy anytime soon.

I was DESPERATE far an actual schematic on this amp - so I emailed a guy named DOug McCallum who is a SLM tech guy and he sent me the pdf file for it - and it is so freaking complicated I can't follow it at all - so the Reverb is still dead on mine - but I just run a Digital reverb in the effects loops and it sounds great - and it works off the footswitch and is still tube driven so I am happy as it is. I guess that counts as good customer support - thanks DOUG!

I got this amp cheap and it is a great all around monster crunch EL34 amp - with a decent clean channel too - and it is loud as hell, and has wheels. For $30 bucks - are you kidding me?! It's a workhorse that rocks!

After playing around with this amp for the past few years, I have discovered some things about this amp and its circuit design.

First, replace the stock eminence speaker with a Warehouse Guitar Speakers "Veteran 30" @ $45.00 brand new. This mod alone will net a huge difference in detail, clarity and huge thoatiness over the previous.

Second, replace the last two 12AX7a's (Gain Factor 100) in the preamp chain with 12AT7's (Gain Factor 60). Looking at the rear of the amp, this will be the last two small tubes to the left side. This mod alone makes the gain more powerful because it has less "gain loss" through the tone circuit of the overdrive channel since it is post-gain EQ (tone shaping). It also makes the tone shaping more useable and effective, not weak as before.

Third, replace the first 12AX7A (V1)with a high quality NOS American vintage tube or a JJ ECC83 series. I have an extensive range of NOS tubes to play with but not enough space to write all I have learned fron swapping tubes. I prefer a NOS 12AX7WA because of the single note definition under high gain use. Kinda like early EVH.

Fourth, Power Tubes! I have experimented extensively here with a large selection of vintage and newer power tubes. NOS Siemens EL34's are about the most musical and sweet tubes I have used. Classic EL34 crunch par excellence plus it cleans up so sweetly on the clean channel and is so musical. I just love them over Mullard XF2's, early Tesla's, Svets, Wing C, Groove Tubes E34LS, etc...

And finally, the secret weapon of them all. A 12BZ7 in V1 position, The 12BZ7 is a tone gods magic spell for big, throaty sound. The downside to it is that as the tube warms up, it tends to develop some filament hum and ringing. I have found ways to stop it such as modifying the springs in the tube protective cover to dampen the vibration until the tube gets up to operational temperature. Then it is huge sounding and powerful. If you swap a 12AX7 and a 12BZ7 after a couple hours of playing each, you will realize how much a good 12AX7 lacks compared to the "BZ".

I A/B this amp next to my 1969 Marshall Plexi 50 watter with 212 cab and powerbrake. I can get there with the 6112 no problem. The Plexi is very good at that sound, in fact it is incredible, but very limited in comparison to the 6112 which is a very versatile 2 channel with the mods listed here. The cleans will be cleaner and the overdrive will be very Plexi like to Hot-rodded Plexi, except more versatile.

One last one for this column. The 12AU7 used for the effects loop was a brand new chinese tube that tested weak. Get a good NOS American tube for this slot since it does affect the overall gain of the amp.

The reliability problems listed about the trannys can be lessened by going to power tubes that aren't as powerful. The Seimens are making about 45 watts which is reduced from the 55 plus before. If you drive your car at 80 mph all the time, it will wear out faster than driving it at 65mph.

Also, get some "electrical grade" CRC spray lubricant and clean/lube the input, output, footswitch, etc...jacks. This will prevent the uncontrolled channel switching some are experiencing from oxidation on the jack switch contact points from general uncleanliness. Clean your amp up man!

I haven't used them yet.

I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT UP UNTIL MY STROKE 4 YEARS AGO;IN MY 35 YEARS OF PLAYING I NEVER OWNED AN AMP I LOVED MORE THAT'S INCLUDING 1 100 WATT MARSHALL, SEVERAL SUPER AND TWIN REVERBS WITH AND WITHOUT MASTER VOL.A MUSIC MAN AND A LEGEND THIS BABY COMBINED WITH THE OCCASIONAL ANALOG AND DIGITAL STOMP BOX HAS MADE ANY STYLE OF SOUND THAT I WANTED TO GET. BUT MOSTLY CLASSIC ROCK AND STEVIERAY SOUNDING BLUES I SUPPOSE TO SOME EARS CONVERTING TO A CELESTIAN MIGHT BE THE THING TO DO BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN DISATISFIED WITH THE CRATE APEAKER IT CAME WITH DEFINATELY A GREAT VALUE! I TOOK TO CALLING IT THE"POOR MAN'S MESA BOOGIE" BUT AT RIGHT AROUND 700 HIDES
WITH TAXYER NOT TOO POOR I'LL PROBABLY MOVE IT SOON, SINCE I HAVE NO LEFT HAND USE ANYMORE AND AT 60 LBS IT PULLS ME OFF BALANCE WITH MY 1 GOOD RIGHT HAND TO USE WITH THE YAMAHA KEYBOARD;I'LL NEED A DINKY PRACTICE AMP WITH A 15" THAT I CAN ACTUALLY CARRYIF I WERE GRANTED THE MIRACLE OF A RETURN OF MY LEFT HAND FUNCTION I'D JUST GET ANOTHER ONE OF THESE AMPSST.LOUIS MUSIC SHOULD HIRE MY DISABLED BUTT TO SELL THESE PUPPIES

My VC60 is a 98 I'm pretty sure.I bought it used in 2000 and it sounded great.It has a nice clean chime on the clean side,witch is always needed.I play alot of Blues@Rock new@ old .The 2 channels help greatly in all 3 applications .It comes with a foot switch,on mine it's a 2 button switch with both red and green indicators lit it sounds even hotter low or high gain settings.It has all the popular extras except headphone out, but this is a real working AMP no phones needed .The feel of the tubes are that of a true vintage amp only it's hot side is very nasty with no effects i have had many players, mostly younger players ask what kind of boosters I use at shows.The only effects I use in my rig is a Dunloap Wha / Wha. This amp is probably the most versatile I've ever owned
I've even resorted to removing the nameplate from the grill because this the only I need you figure it out.

This amp easily cleans up with lots of headroom great for country even at volume with the gain low.At higher gain settings it will talk nasty to you .It breaks up real nice but retains it's chime.
The distortion at 8,9 is a little much without some adjustment to theamps eq.I mosty play fenders s/s/s@s/s/s/h.I play country,blues@ newROCK tis amp does it all.And for a tube amp is remarkabley low noise in most settings.

I feel I can depend on this amp ,in the9-10 yrs, i have had it I have only had it serviced twice, once a bed resistor the other blown speaker In the amps defense I'm cruel to my equipment and guitars .In a gigging situation no fears at all but a small tour or bigger venue I would bring a back-up preferabaly another VC6012

I have been playing my VC6012 for 9 ,10 years My fender ,peavy classic 50 draw a lot of dust.If sometrhing happed or it got stolen I would difinitly try to locate anoughter one . this amp brings out my style in every way

2000 Crate VC-6112 Vintage Club 60 Combo: 60 Watt, 1x12, 2 Channel Tube Amp with Overdrive Channel. 2 6L6GC/EL34, 4 12AX7, and 1 12AU7 tube setup. The amp is incredibly versatile: each channel has individual controls for Treble, Mid, Bass, Gain, Presence, and Reverb. The effects loop in the back can act as an overdrive channel/ volume boost for each channel, using the 2 button footswitch. And oh, yeah; the combo weighs a TON!!!

Good amp for just about every application, when used properly. The A channel can go from sparkling to light crunch, and the B channel takes over from there to add another 32dB of gain to the equation. Boost switches for Treble, Mid, and Low (varied on the two channels) color the palate even more, and the result is quite an impressive canvas of sound range.

I never used the effects loop, other than to access the boost channel. The standby is a nice added touch. Just about every bell and whistle this side of a Mesa combo, other than DSP effects. 60 tube watts are easily enough to gig with, and this can be used in a concert setting. Features-wise I have to give this combo a 9/10 overall. Tons of options, except for footswithcable reverb.

I used a variety of guitars with this amp, but mostly the standard fare: Strats, Les Pauls, a Tele, and a piezo acoustic/ electric. The only effects I tried with the combo were an Ibanez Tubescreamer, and a Dunlop wah pedal.

I play blues and classic rock. I like to push the power tubes in my tube combos, for power amp tube saturation, instead of just working the preamp tubes for pure crunch. The tube wattage is pretty extreme, to say the least; winding up a 60 watt tube combo is a great way to introduce your neighbors to your playing style ;-). The stock 16ohm speaker is pretty run-of-the-mill, too. Run through a 4x12 cabinet, the amp can breathe a bit, and opens up.

This amp is indeed a jack-of all trades amp. The reverb is woefully weak, but the clean is good. The overdrive is above average, too, and you can coax some Van Halen-esque tones without any additional pedals. Being able to switch from clean to good sounding overdrive is a nice boon to have, especially for anyone who has realized their Hot Rod Deluxe's gain will never have a Marshall JCM crunch. Neither channel on this amp is as good as Fender clean, or Marshall crunch, but getting close in a combo, especially for a tube combo so cheap, is a nice feature.

6/10 overall; varied, but average tones. In addition, I have to say that the tube feel of this amp is definitely compromised. Pick response is tube-like, and your ears can tell it's a tube amp, but despite several aftermarket tube substitutions and bias adjustments, it never had the organic feel of many other tube offerings. Even with the power amp tubes pushed, the amp had a sterile touch, and a crossover hint of solid-state interference. I don't mean to be harsh, and I may have received a poor example, but after having this combo for several years, with regular upkeep, I was disappointed to hear better "tube" tone in a Marshall AVT50 hybrid combo.

Here is where this amp broke my heart. As with many recent tube amp designs, the tubes are direct-mounted to the circuit board. Not a big deal, I thought. I always took care to replace the tubes with regularity, warm up and cool down the tubes using the standby switch, and never crank the amp to the 9's across the board.

Long story short, I was playing an outdoor gig in LA last summer (90 degrees, master volume and gain no higher than 6 on either channel), and my Crate amp simply died... mid-song. I finished the gig with a buddy's Peavey XXX tube combo without missing much of a beat, but was concerned.

When I got the amp to the service center, and explained the problem, we took a look inside. The plastic tube sockets were absoultely torched, and the circuit board was shorted out, and had to be replaced. It looked like I had done a Hendrix to the innards of the amp. Eventually we procured a replacement board and sockets, retubed to be safe, and got her up and running again (albeit to a hefty cost).

Not a month later, during a casual warmup soundcheck, the master volume dropped, and the amp died. Again. This time the main transformer had died. Replaced the trans, and got her up and working again several days later. Not 3 days after I had the amp working again, and not 10 days since the trans died, the reverb ghosted out, and merely added a loud pop to the channel switching. Grrrrr!

Had the reverb fixed, but then gave up on using the amp. If the tone were irreplacable, I would have chalked the blowups to tube eccentricities, etc. Even complaints about the pop-switching channels are acceptable. But having a jack-of-all trades amp, whose finest trades are dying, just rubbed me the wrong way. Again, perhaps I got a bad example, but from individual experience I have to give a substandard 3/10 for reliability. Ouch.

Crate support through St. Louis Music actually did a fine job. Parts took a bit of time to arrive, but were readily available for an out-of-production amp. They provided accurate schematics, and replacement booklets, at little or no charge. Nice guys, and they actually remembered my case when I had to make return calls, and were sympathetic. Service centers were easy to find, even though the amp was no longer under warranty. Kudos, and definitely above average. 8/10 overall.

I've been playing for several years, recently gigging for money. I've owned many different amps in the past: a Marshall DSL 40 combo, a tweed Fender Hot Rod Deluxe SE, and Blues Jr. SE, a Mesa Subway combo, a tweed Peavey Classic, and this Crate. Fender had the great clean tone, Peavey was close, and neither had sufficient overdrive, but were reliable with nice reverb. The Marshall combo had some hiccups, but had a fantastic gain stage. The Mesa did many things well.

I was surprised to find that after my initial giddy love of this Crate, I was over it in a heartbeat. Currently, after years of playing and gigging, I've switched to Pignose G40 amps, and I use them exclusively. The downside is that the're a totally different animal from my Vintage Club: a single channel combo with no reverb. But they're light, have plenty of swat, and have tubes off of the circuit board where they belong. The Pignose is my ideal amp, and I'm finally happy to push these babies at any blues gig without much worry of a meltdown. Besides, the reverb on the Crate was always weak, anyway.

The Crate was one of my first tube amps, and I treated it with kid gloves. When it was working, it was a pleasure to be able switch between clean and crunch tones in a click of a switch, and then kick it up a notch on either channel with the boost footswitch. As my playing progressed, however, the amp became more and more brittle sounding when compared to other tube amps. In the end, I was left with a sketchy tube combo, that sounded a lot like current solid state combos, and weighed a ton.

I honestly just had a bad experience with this Crate. I'm not ripping on the design, or the perceived value, at all. I stuck with the amp in bad times, and I would still rather buy one instead of a newer V-series Crate. The controls on this VC6112 had an absolutely ideal layout. But after playing for a few years, and hearing several other tube offerings, I wouldn't pay for another unit, or another multi-channel amp, for that matter. The Crate broke my heart too many times, and I'd rather have a reliable tube amp, and use an overdrive pedal, than have to shell out more and more money to support the weak interior design of this amp.

5/10 overall rating. I'd be happy to play one again, for the versatility and nostalgia, but I'd be hesitant to go all out style-wise with reliability concerns in the back of my mind. And since I'd rather worry about music, instead of the notes I could play before my amp died, I wouldn't buy another model, again.

Excellent features condsidering most combo amps of this sort share the same channel EQ which I find frustrating. It has EL 34 power tubes, but I called SLM, the manufacturer/distributer of Crate, and asked their tech team if I could install 6L6GC tubes because the manual stated "6L6GC/EL34", and they said "sure, but I would have to bias them," thus the bias controls on the back. Haven't done it yet, but will soon do so to get a more Fenderish sound, and smoother distortion. Only thing I don't like is that the Reverb isn't footswtichable, now thats lame.

First I compared this side by side with a Peavey Classic 30. The Crate sounded very thin in comparison and I thought maybe it's because the 30 had better break up because of the lower wattage. But then something dawned on me and I hooked up the peavey calssic 30 speaker still in its cabinet to the Crate VC6112, and BINGO, theres the balls the amps has been missing. I don't know if it's the speaker, or the cabinet, or both, but Crate really lamed out on those factors. I would hope it's the speaker considering the Crate cab is larger...thus eaqualing more vibration/tone. Whats up Crate? How could you neglect these simple factors?!? So needless to say, I'm most likely going to chop the cabinet up and make the combo into a guitar head and get ext. speakers for it. The sound by itself is a 6, but after hooking it up to another source its a 9...considering price and all that other stuff.

I heard some awful stuff about this amp and I must say I was scared to get it because of the reliability factor, which I must thank everyone in Harmony Central reviews for notifying potential buyers, but I still took my chance. I got this amp from a friend of a friend who had it for a year and no problems. I figure maybe Crate made some lemons, and I lucked out getting a tangerine.

I called SLM and the tech was lazy. Didn't want to look up the info on the computer...I asked about cabinet material and tube ?'s. But nonetheless with some encouragement, I got my info.

What a great amp. You really can't go wrong with valve amps. Especially this because it's so cheap, unbeleivably cheap it's almost a steal. This is a great rock and roll amp, and I suspect it can do the really heavy metal stuff if you have a good pedal and blend the overdrive channel with it. Alot of people cringe when they hear Crate. But really, they make good valve amps, it's their solid state junk you got to steer clear of...well at least 90% of them. Try hooking up the amp to other speaker/cab configs, and you will be amazed at the sound improvement...it really almost doubles. I will take the speaker out of the PEavey amp and put it in the Crate to see if it's more the speaker that improves the sound than the cabinet and I will update this sucker then.

My Crate VC6112 was made in 2001 and I would say that besides some Mesa Boogies, it is the most versatile amp I've played. Two channels, each with separate EQs, Reverbs, Masters, and of course, Gains. I play many styles from Blues/Jazz to Hard Rock and this amp can handle it. The only style that I would shy away from with this amp is Metal. I especially like that I can use the second button on my footswitch as a volume boost (by adjusting the EFX volume in the back). The option of switching between a 16ohm and 8ohm speaker is also very handy, especially when I use an extension cab. Now to what I don't like... The knobs feel cheap and look cheap. Period. I don't like that Crate didn't cut out an entire circle for the speaker on the baffle just so they could screw in the Crate logo in the front of the amp. Lastly, I wish that the reverb could be switched on and off with the footswitch.

This is where things get interesting. I've had this amp for a few years and I'm glad I still have it, although I haven't always felt this way. Many times I wanted to drive my foot through the speaker because it sounded like crap. Other times I wanted to kiss it because it sounded wonderful. After examining it inside and reading more reviews and gathering the opinions of other guitarists, I felt that this amp had good potential. First of all, I changed those cheap tubes it came with (just because it says Groove Tubes, doesn't mean you're getting good tubes) with Electro Harmonix tubes... wow! instantly I could notice a tone improvement. At the same time, I changed the pickups in my Godin LGX-SA to a SH-14 and a SH-2 (I planned on doing this anyways). As someone stated below, with high output pickups, plug into the Low input of the amp. I wish I had done this earlier! I was now able to turn the gain up on my clean channel and it didn't break up until I really cranked on the guitar (which is how a tube amp clean channel should be) Finally, I found the overdrive of this amp to be a little fuzzy, and not good fuzz at that! I tried replacing the speaker with an old, heavy fender cab speaker (not bad, a little too much low end) then a light Jensen P12R, (surprisingly not bad sound but low end couldn't handle the output of the amp, mainly because the speaker is only rated for 25 Watts) then I tried a Celestion Black Shadow (getting warmer to true tone!) and finally a friend's Celestion Vintage 30 (Ahhh...perfect!) Now I hate that I want to spend a third of what a paid for the amp on a speaker replacement, but believe me, it's worth the tone! I got rid a the crate speaker as soon as I could and put the Black Shadow back in, while I wait for my own Vintage 30. When I get it, this amp will run pace for pace with any Fender, Mesa, or Marshall you put it against. So before the changes, I would give the sound quality of 5, but after these changes, I give it a 9.

Seems to be well built, although I can forsee one of these cheap knobs breaking at some point in the future... The circuit board and all the guts have been laid out very neat and tidy on the inside. Before I made the changes, it seemed to be inconsistent in sound, but has become a tone monster now. I would gig without a backup (because I don't have one right now!), but I don't care who you are and what you use, it's always smartest to have a backup amp if you can.

Never dealt with them, but I am planning on ordering a schematic from SLM to see if I can replace some of the op-amps and other various guts with higher quality guts!

I've been playing for 9 years and because of my situation and the musicians I've hung around with, I've played some serious gear. I'm totally a guy in favour of finding the less known players who have had a bad rep, making some minor improvements, then let them hit homeruns with the big boy companies. This Crate, after everything is done, will cost me about $900 canadian (that's like $700 US), but it competes well and even beats some of the $1500 US tube amps out there. Well done Crate! By the way, don't get Crate solid state. Run away from it... far, far away!

This is a model year 2000 Crate Vintage Club, All-Tube, 60W, 1x12 Combo. Made in USA. It has two completely separate channels, clean and drive. It comes with four (4) - 12AX7 plus one (1) - 12AU7 preamp tubes and two (2) - EL34 output tubes. All are Groove Tubes. The speaker is a Crate special vintage design 12", 16 ohm model.

Front Panel Controls for each channel include: Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Master Vol, Reverb and Presence, plus mid and low boost switches for the clean channel and bright and mid boost switches for the drive channel. It includes two 1/4" inputs, "high" for passive pickup guitars and "low" for guitars with active electronics. There are three large toggle switches on the front panel: one for channel selection, one for power and the other is the standby switch. The finishing touch on the front panel is a vintage-style jewel lamp that changes from amber to red when the channel is switched from clean to drive.

The rear panel includes an input for the supplied two button footswitch, two 1/4" jacks for speaker connection, two 1/4" jacks for send and return for the parallel effects loop, an effects loop level control, a speaker impedance switch (8 or 16 ohms), a fuse, bias adjustment pots and a removable power cord.

This is all packaged in a 24"x19"x10" (WxHxD) black tolex covered plywood cabinet with a black grill cloth and a heavy cast aluminum "CRATE USA" badge. The cosmetics are simple and very nice.

About the only thing this amp doesn't have is a headphone/line-out jack and speaker mute switch like some of the Mesa/Boogie combos. Overall, you get a lot of control and connection features for the money.

I've used it with Standard (MIM) Strats and Teles, and a 1995 Telecaster Special with a neck humbucker. The sounds you can get are very versatile. You can get a nice clean tone from channel A to a crunchy overdrive from channel B. The low-end response is very good.

The build quality seems very good. However, when I bought it the reverb was non-functioning. I trouble shooted the problem myself - a bad reverb tank. But I had to take it to an authorized technician to have the tank replace. Crate wouldn't just send me the part. They also charged me for the shipping of the new part and the return shipping of the bad tank. It ended up costing me $10. Not bad, but SLM should cover this! It would have been cheaper for them to have just sent me the replacement part. They had to pay the tech about $50 for the work.

SLM responded to my emails regarding the warranty work, but like I mentioned above, they refused to simple mail me the replacement part. They insisted that I take the amp to a repair facility, which ended up in more hassle for me, and a bigger expense for them. Also, they don't pay for shipping costs for the replacement parts, and you also have to pay to ship the bad parts back to them. Seems a bit cheap of them to do this.

I've been playing off and on for about 10 years. I had a solid state Fender 110 combo before this. Needless to say, the 60W, 1x12, All-tube Crate blows that little practice combo away. I'm very happy with the VC6112. If it were stolen, I'd definitely buy it again. This thing blows away anything else you could get for $250. I think this amp competes with Hot Rod Deluxes, but those go for about twice the price.

I think this amp is a 99' Model. The features are in the other reviews but for a quick glance...2 channels, footswitchable. Channel A=Clean, B=Overdrive...each channel has volume, treble, mid, bass, master volume, reverb and presence. Channel A has a mid and low boost switch, Channel B has a Bright and Mid boost. Fx Loop and external speaker capabilites. For me simple is better...no built in FX, thank the Lord. The only thing it is missing is a overall Master Volume for both channels. Mine has Electro-Harmonix EL-34's and 5 12AX7 preamp tubes

I'm using a Carvin bolt kit H/S/S config. I play in a large contemp. Church Band and Alt. Rock, Folk Rock, Hard Rock Bands and it suits all these styles very well. This amp can go from very shimmering clean to very heavy Overdrive/Distortion and everything in between. At high volumes the clean does breakup some but if you very loud and very clean get a Roland JC120 (The BEST clean I've ever heard and NO distortion from the clean side no matter what volume). The Bright/Low boost can make this sound like a Marshall rich in Mids to Mesa growl or Early Mesa bright distortion. Hint...if you use High output pickups use the Low Impedence input, it gives more control of the sound.

HMMMM...well, I had it a week and blew the stock speaker, smoked the Power tube and arced the tube sockets...Of course I had the volume on the clean channel up all the way as well as the Master Volume. Now I have a Fender/Eminence Speaker and the sounds are much better and defined. I also replaced the power tubes from GT to Electro-Harmonix. There are also problems with the transformers going out on these things so that is to be considered.

I have not used it but i understand that they do back their warranty but also get every dime they can out of you.

I have been playing since I was 8 and I am now 33 so...25 years according to my Texas education. I have owned a JCM800, Roland JC120, Fender Blues Deville, Ampeg Reverberocket Reissue and countless solid state cheapos. No two amps sound the exact same even though they may be the same Make/Model. This amp does many things well but not one thing great. The Clean is not as prestine or gut shaking as the JC120 or Fender (both 2x12's) but is very good. The Distortion isnt as natural as my Ampeg (mine was amazing, another just like it at the store sounded like crap!!! tube type ?) but actually has better bottom end and response than my old JCM800. After paying $275 initally it was a pretty good deal, after $200 in repairs not so good...so for $475 I would have much prefered an old Fender Bassman 10...I just love that ballsy natural sound !!!

This is one of the best thought-out designs I've seen in a simple 1x12 tube amp. Two channels have totally separate controls. Each channel has two boost switches that add just the right boost in the right areas for different sounds with different guitars. The FX loop has a level setting pot (most I've seen do not). I also like the fact that the reverb and presence control are after the FX loop, so they can be added if I'm using an external pre-amp. Plenty of power for the venues I need it in. The reverb doesn't get as deep as most I've used (it's almost not noticeable until you have it turned up to about 5 out of 10), but I don't need more reverb than the 10 setting anyway. Also I wish it had side legs on it like a Fender Twin, but it seems most amps in the category don't have them. For a vintage amp, I really like having the knobs on the front as this amp has, as I spend my time in front of the amp. The "classic vintage" arrangement with knobs in the back just don't suite my setup.

This amp is a steal compared to other 60W tube amps. People don't realize how good these are, or they'd be going for more money. Very underrated just because it's a Crate. Just cover up the name and try it, you'll like it!

I have two different guitars I use with this: a 1992 Fender American Deluxe Plus (Lace Sensor pickups: blue, silver, red), and a 1982 Gibson ES-347 with Series 7 humbuckers. With the right tone and boost settings, both of these guitars sound awesome in this amp. I bought the amp used, and the tubes it came with are probably so-so (a Chinese no-name 12AU7, one GT 12AX7, and 3 Sovtek 12AX7WAs), but the sound is quite good nonetheless. I can get anything from a nice fat jazz tone, a twangy county sound, a bluesy overdrive, and a medium to heavy distorted hard rock. Not much missing. When I want even more sounds or different tone, I plug my DigiTech GSP-2101 or GNX-2 amp/cab modeling pre-amp into the FX return and use it that way.

I haven't had the amp long enough to judge reliability. It appears sturdy enough. I think Crate could have done better with the pots and knobs. The pots appear to have plastic, fluted shafts so some of the knobs are starting to fit a little loose due to some wear. Easily quick-fixed, but a bit annoying. Would be nice if they used metal split shafted pots so that the grip on the knob could be adjusted.

I haven't had to deal with service except to get information on the tube arrangement. They were pretty quick to respond (within a day). I had to purchase a schematic for $13 to get the info, but I suppose that's not too bad.

I've played guitar on and off for 25 years, mostly on the last few years. I also own a Fender Deluxe 85 and a 1978 Fender Champ. If this Crate amp were lost or stolen, I'd likely get one just like it. You just can't beat the price for an amp that holds its own against other comparable tube amps, plus has some very useful features that the others don't have. To summarize my thoughts above: what I like most about the amp is its sound and versatility, but what I like least is probably the plastic shaft pots. I give this amp a big, fat 10 for sound quality and value.