Early Crate Amps.

[Gearjoneser]

There's no real collectibility in these, mostly because they sounded cheap, and most didn't last past the late 80's.

I just thought I'd post some pics I ran across, mostly for the benefit of younger players, who may not know why the company was even called Crate. They looked like this from the late 70's till the early 80's.

I actually had one of these, pictured below. I think I bought it at a garage sale for $10. The difference between Crate amps now and then is night and day. Those old Crates sounded like a hunk of junk.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

:eek5:
Man I have just forgotten the look sof those......hahaha
Nightmarish!

 

[aleclee]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

A few years back I had a couple of Crate wooden 1x12s. They sounded okay but I sold 'em off when thinning the herd.

 

[pzaxtl]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

I remember those well. Thank God I never bought one LOL!

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

The one in the top pic is a really early one. I remember seeing the ads for those in guitar mags when I was in high school. The local MGR here actually had one of those not long ago. Some are still rockin'.

My brother has the one in the lower pic. It's not bad for what it is - a practice amp. It sounds like a lot of the small practice amps these days with 10" speakers.
For a while I had a 1-12 version of the one in the lower pic. I bought it as a practice and rehearsing amp. It didnt sound magical, but it was passable for practicing and rehearsing. And it was light enough to easily lug around. The overdrive wasn't too bad actually. I had to play with it to get a decent tone, but it was possible to get a tone reminiscent of an 80's crunch - at least as close as a solid state amp will get you.

If I were just starting out, I think I'd actually consider looking for a deal on an old Crate like the 1-12 combo I used to have before dropping more money on one of the entry level amps out there now that don't sound any better, will probably die before a 25 year old Crate amp will, and cost more.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

I recently read that Leslie West was involved in the design of those first Crates.

My first amp was a G80XL. Quite awful.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

I recently read that Leslie West was involved in the design of those first Crates.

My first amp was a G80XL. Quite awful.

I remember those too. It's funny that you almost don't even see 80's Crates very often.....it's because most of them got thrown away when they broke down. :scratchch

 

[sosomething]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

Nice to know that Crate has always been synonymous with cheap junk!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

The new tube amps aren't all that bad sounding, but rest assured, they use the cheapest components possible, and won't last more than 6 or 7 years.

 

[drpietrzak]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

I remember the wood box things as a pre-teen as well. I actually like the look, but I am into that rustic sorta thing. It was the innards that just never go through to me.

 

[Guest]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

I guess now I know why they are called Crate... LMAO.

I actually like the look, like something cobbled together in a basement.

 

[cayle_6]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

i saw some of these for sale. good thing i never pulled the trigger on them.

 

[razorblade]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

I remember working at GC in San Diego around 82, and there was one like the top picture that had been on the floor for a couple of years...There was a hundred dollar bounty if anyone ever sold it. Crappiest amp ever.

One of the favorite games ( along with " Long Distance Hondo Toss") was to back into the Crate, and "accidentally" knock it off the stack, and see how many times it would bounce... happened on a daily basis.

The funny thing was, it kept right on working in spite of the daily abuse. I wouldn't be surprised if that amp was still sitting in some backroom in the GC chain right now.

 

[thespricket]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

I've got a Crate Vintage Club tube combo from the 90's. It's held up pretty well, and sounds great to me. Their stuff is totally hit or miss, more of the latter unfortunately.

 

[d1dsj]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

I remember those too. It's funny that you almost don't even see 80's Crates very often.....it's because most of them got thrown away when they broke down. :scratchch

Most of them got thrown away BEFORE they broke down!! :naughty:

I will admit however to having a Crate power block as an emergency back up, and to be fair it's a nice compact piece of kit as long as you have a couple of decent pedals to put through it.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

I've got a Crate Vintage Club tube combo from the 90's. It's held up pretty well, and sounds great to me. Their stuff is totally hit or miss, more of the latter unfortunately.

That was the first good sounding amp Crate ever made.
When it came out, everyone plugged into it and had to take a double take at the logo, just to make sure they weren't imagining things! :scratchch

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

That was the first good sounding amp Crate ever made.
When it came out, everyone plugged into it and had to take a double take at the logo, just to make sure they weren't imagining things! :scratchch

I was similarly blown away by the first tube Crate I plugged into. SO different from the "chomp" sound on chords the SS Crates did.

Still, I think of those first tube Crates as modified Ampegs. Crate didn't have any tube products until after 1986 when they got the Ampeg patents and designs.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

The new tube amps aren't all that bad sounding, but rest assured, they use the cheapest components possible, and won't last more than 6 or 7 years.

Which is still 8 years longer than a Bugera

 

[thespricket]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

That was the first good sounding amp Crate ever made.
When it came out, everyone plugged into it and had to take a double take at the logo, just to make sure they weren't imagining things! :scratchch

funny, you should say that. The first thing i did when I got the amp home was take the little "CRATE" name plate off the front.

 

[DankStar]

Re: Early Crate Amps.

looks like it was to be competition for a pignose.

I've still got a GFX-15. Too handy to get rid of, yet not enough resale value to be worth anything.