Re: Are crate amps the best for the money?
Many moons ago, when I first started playing guitar, I owned a Crate guitar amp and then a Crate keyboard amp. Both developed serious defects after not much rigorous use. I also worked in a guitar store that carried Crate, and one day some hot new model they had been hyping came in. We plugged it in, no sound. Turned it around, the speakers had somehow crashed out of the wood frame. We had a saying: "Crate - aptly named." Also, it seems like whenever amps include digital effects, it's just a gimmick. I second the opinion that money is better spent on a good sounding amp with no digital effects (analog overdrive and reverb are good). Add pedals later.
Check the backlines of major touring musicians - any of them using Crate? Doubt it!!!