Crate Vintage Club combo users.

[guitfiddle]

Re: Crate Vintage Club combo users.

This is a great amp, do not sell it. My bass player owns my old one and I want it back. I also owned the 50wt combo which sounded fantastic but was a bit temperamental at times. I had to have the input jack fixed a few times, it tended to crack where it was wired in.

Seriously thinking of grabbing a V32/33 head if Jet City doesn't release a 4xEL84 head of their own soon.

People dog a lot of Crate stuff and rightfully so it a bunch of cases but the VC line has always been pretty damn good.

Those VC amps came hot on the heals of SLM buying all of Ampeg's old stuff, and schematics. Makes me think they were the product of Crate using those ideas to make their own first tube amps.

I rocked one of the three 10" speaker versions. Pretty dang good, but I traded it for a red knob Fender. That lasted right up until I got an Ampeg Jet.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Vintage Club 5115

Vintage Club 5115

Was messing around killing time in my favorite place to waste a few minutes...Music Go Round...and they had a pretty clean VC-5115 (50W/15" Speaker) along with a VC-5310 (50W/3 10") that had just come out on the floor - presumably from the same person. I have learned that 10" Speakers aren't my thing in any way and that single 12" just don't measure up to my expectations after having been a 2x12 devotee for the last 20 years.

That said; I am always intrigued by Tube Amps with a single 15" Speaker! Tried it out with a USA Stratocaster, a Gibson LP with Duncans and a couple of other guitars and it actually sounded...impressive. Simple little box with two channels. Very nice clean channel and reverb - sweet and jazzy. Gain Channel had a very nice tone as well - bluesy/classic rock; both with and without reverb.

I did my research and read several reviews here and on TDPRI mostly as well as researching specs and viewing a few YouTube video clips. Also reviewed discussion threads on the Vintage Club Series on Harmony Central and a few other places. The Vintage Clube Series amps and the VC-5115 in particular seem to have positive reviews and to be well liked by people who own/have owned them comparing the tonal variety across the two channels as being reminiscent of Fender Bassman/Vox AC30/Marshall JTM. This one displayed none of the problems with which they are generally associated and sounded good to me. Enough so that I decided (at the price) it was worth snagging as a practice amp/fun little player with a different tonal option.

*** Pics below are not of the one I bought but are a of a clean VC-5115. Will upload some of the one I obtained later on, which, other than a tolex tear on the back bottom, is just as clean.

Amplification:

- Pre-amp: 4 x 12AX7
- Amp: 4 x EL84/6BQ5
- 15-inch Crate USA Speaker (rumored to be a OEM Eminence)

Dimensions and weight:

- 23" x 18" x 13.5"
- Weight: 60 lbs

Connections:

- Input Jack Standard 6.35
- Footwitch Jack mono 6.35 (channel switch only)
- Loop: Jack stereo 6.35 (1 send/return)
- No external speaker output

Channels:

- Clean Channel: volume, bass, treble, reverb
- Gain Channel: gain, bass, mid, treble, level (volume), reverb

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Crate Vintage Club combo users.

My first tube amp was the profoundly not-very-good VC508.

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Crate Vintage Club combo users.

I've still got my VC5212. Haven't used it in a long time, although I always loved the tone I got with it. I've replaced it with a Carvin Nomad, a few years ago, that I love. I'll probably sell the Crate sometime down the road

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Re: Crate Vintage Club combo users.

LP - I've seen those. This one is a USA Made and supposedly they were a bit better quality per what I've read in reviews/discussions. Quality varied so much so that some of the discussions I read stated the typical input jack, cold solder joint, etc. problems and others state that "they have gigged with them for years/since purchasing new" without any problems.

I spent some time with it last night and dialed in both channels with a Kramer PC1 with Neck/Middle Suhr Landaus for the Clean Channel and used my Iceman with SD Jazz & Custom Custom/JB A2 Hybrid TB for the Gain Channel. I'll give it a shot and see if I am still enthused with it over the next few days/week or two. Great thing about buying from MGR is that I have 30 days for an exchange.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Crate Vintage Club combo users.

I still have a 3x10 version of that amp. It was my first amp, and ungodly heavy, but it did sound good. Not great, but I think it might have in the right hands. EL 84s always sound a bit too "dainty" to my ears, and I remember never quite getting used to the gain structure. Then again, I use Kramers and ADAs, so I'm probably not in the intended audience group I have a friend who was more of a blues-rock type, and he loved it. In that setting, I still think it is a good amp.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Crate Vintage Club combo users.

Quality varied so much so that some of the discussions I read stated the typical input jack, cold solder joint, etc. problems and others state that "they have gigged with them for years/since purchasing new" without any problems.

On mine, the clean channel pots have been scratchy for years, and in recent years the input jack started malfunctioning. As a teenager I didn't know how to fix these things; now I have found the necessary parts, and I plan to fix the thing once I get the opportunity to do so.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Re: Crate Vintage Club combo users.

jeffrec - I read your prior posts on that VC5212. Sounds like you've had it for some time. Never had the opportunity to try out a Nomad; did try a Vai Model and passed on it for my 5150.

sirion - the place I picked up the VC5115 has one of the 3x10 as well, equally clean and I figure they were traded in by the same person. Didn't try it out as I've had couple of 2x10 Fenders (first amp was a Princeton Chorus back in late 80s and I had a Blues Deluxe that had been modded to 2x10 a few weeks ago. Lot of people love those 2x10/4x10s.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Re: Crate Vintage Club combo users.

Found a used Marshall footswitch that works perfectly with the Crate. I have been playing this little beastie a bit the last couple of evenings. Where I was not finding a tone I liked on either channel of the last Peavey Blues Classic even after changing tubes and the speaker; I'm enjoying the tone of both channels on this one and loving the stock speaker. I have even had the opportunity to crank it up...this just may be my "guilty pleasure" amp.

 

[muttznmongrelz]

Re: Crate Vintage Club combo users.

Mine. I stopped using pedals and plugging straight into an amp about 5 years ago. This simple little amp is a pure joy. Super surprised at how much I am liking the tone, flexibility and flat out enjoying it. If you’re looking for an inexpensive fun 15” Tube Amp and run across one of these i would indeed recommend grabbing it.