Early 90s, most amps didn't have tons of gain. Some of those crates had alot of gain and you could play metal plugging straight in. In college I upgraded to a Fender 40 watt tube combo and had to run pedals into it. And it was too loud for my apartment. I was a little jealous of my friends Crate. Remember that alot of gear back then, you couldn't just plug in and shred.
Also, I remember early 90s going to a Guitar Center and some long haired kid was sitting on top of one playing a BC Rich Warlock and really shredding it up! This was before youtube and chance to see really good players close up was few and far between.
Fond memories of Crate. I don't know why people are bashing them. Maybe if you were a little older than me and could afford really good gear, but from my perspective (like the Peavy Bandit) they were good.