Anyone have a Crate amp?

[Vertigo]

I recently got a GFX-65 amp and I really like it, but Im trying to get a straight up pure sounding distortion that kicks ass (I dont really want to use my Zoom 505 petal).

Anyone have this amp of GFX series? Can anyone give some setting reccomendations that I should try out to get a good distortion.

Thanks to anyone who helps out!

 

[Feanor IV]

I have a small old Crate, not the one you mentioned, and its distortion is great, at least compared to its price It's thick and dirty. I only use a petal for the thin, screamy distortion if I want some.... I just use lots of bass and trebles and play around with the middles....

 

[Iced In Flames]

I used to have a GX-212 Its kinda ahrd to get a perfect sound on those. My taste changed daily with it.

 

[Evil Ernie]

A friend of mine as a GX halfstack and you can get a pretty good sound out of these. I have a Triple XXX and the mix of both sounds is pretty impressive. I don't have recomandations for you exept that I would suggest you take the time to try a bunch of different settings to see what fits you the best.

 

[Vertigo]

I messing around with it now, but man, its sounds real freakin muddy. The high chords sound too thick and low; its weird. I know I can probably get a bad ass sound out of it, but after messing with it all day ysterday and today, its really pissing me off

 

[FrostGiant]

I've got a GX-65 combo. I don't like it for what it's made for. Too fizzy (as are many solid states). But I have been runnig my pod thru the preamp in and micing it lately. I'm starting to dial in on a decent tone, but I just use mine for homerecording to try to get a better tone out of the POD rather than recording direct.

 

[Sex Machine]

i have the gx900h (the excalibur) and i like it, i can get a pretty damn good death metal type sound out of it, and i can also get the slayer sound.

with crates the best thing to do is put the gain at around 7-8, cause they distort the sound way too much if you put it at 10. i put my bass almost all the way up, mid all the way up, and hi at about 7. sounds pretty good, and it cuts through everything which is very good for me, being the lead guitarist of my band.

 

[xenophobe]

The thing with Crate amps that I've come to realize, after owning (and then selling) several of their combo amps, is that you can always get good bedroom level tone out of them for low-level practice, but when you turn them up to play louder, you can never quite get the sound out of them that you want and I always sat there trying to dial in a sound than actually playing them. I have always liked their Voodoo amps, but not enough to get one.

 

[NAD]

I have a BX100 (100w w/15" speaker combo bass amp), and it did me just fine for many years. Easily drowned out by a pair of 15w guitar amps though.

They have (or at least had) a small 10w all tube guitar amp I LOVED, one of the best gains I've ever heard. Had a blue glowing light on it, but that's all I remember, it was about 10 years ago I last saw one.

EDIT: Found it, the VC508: http://www.crateamps.com/product.cfm?pid=75
It's only a 5w amp apparently, but MAN what tone!

 

[xenophobe]

Yeah, but those 5w amps were LOUD... much louder than a 50w combo...

 

[FrostGiant]

Tube amp wattage and combo wattage are not comparable. And if you want a good sounding live amp you really need to go tube. I haven't heard a combo that sounds good at loud volumes yet. But for practice amps they're nice. You don't have to make yourself deaf and piss of the neighbors but still get a decent distorted tone that you can work with.

 

[NAD]

I had an all tube (pre- and power-amp) bass amp once that was rated around 110w if I remember correctly. Needless to say, yes, that fucker was LOUD.

There's just nothing like a tube amp, bass or guitar.

 

[Indiooo]

Combo does not mean solid state. There are all-tube combos, you know.

 

[FrostGiant]

Yeah, sorry. I generally associate combo with solid state. My bad.

 

[rebelkid]

Shut off all the shitty effects on it and buy a decent pedal

 

[Bryant]

I have an old G60 (SS) half stack. It has a nice fat, thick distortion and I play it at home as a practice amp (though be it a large one) and I have biamped it along with various other tube amps as a rythm amp for the oldschool thrash type sound for rythm, but the amp has never "cut through" on the solos. That's pretty common with ss amps though. The clean tone on it is absolutely horrible as well no matter how much chorus and stuff you put on it, so I always used my tube amp for the clean as well. I will probably die owning that amp because of the great chunky rythm sound it has but that's about all mine offers.


Bryant