This amp is not designed for that boogie kind of saturation. People seem so disappointed when they cant get it with this amp. You have to be realistic about what this amp was designed to do. Its also very touch sensitive, dynamic and very unforgiving. If your not a good player it will be revealed with this amp. It picks up EVERYTHING. You have to play clean and accurate. If you are not used to this kind of tone, you'll have to literally learn how to play the amp!
Just bought one for $150. Sounds great. It could definitley use a different speaker to smooth it out a little bit. I run mine with the gain-4, level-10, bass-0, treble-10, mid-1, reverb-0. With those settings, this amp rocks. Great sounding 70s Marshall type of tone. Cant understand how people are getting such shitty tones with this amp. The key is to keep the gain control down at high volumes and let the power tubes give you drive and saturation. People arent setting the controls right.
@dparnell89 i hate this amp. the lead guitarist of my band had play during one year with this one and the sound was horrible. We are lucky he sold it and replace it by a real tube amp a FENDER. Forgot this amp it's a shit.
Sounds GOOD .... tone is what you do with it... If Stevie Ray Vaughan used this amp and people found out, they'd be selling like hotcakes. I laugh at the suckers who buy $3000 boutique amps that sound no better than this one does. I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe that I'm very happy with.... There is not just ONE answer for how to get cool tone .... even solid state amps can sound good... my 2 cents worth....
Does this amp take pedals well? daisy chain of boss pedals, chorus, flanger, oD and Ds1 padal. The problem with some amps, it looses the signal strength and need some compressor or attenuator pedal to juice it up..
Just for the record... At the ending of Deep Purple's "Highway Star" (and this is something i forgot to mention maaaaaaany time ago) You can hear how somebody kicks the amp,which indeed had a what? a spring reverb tank!!!
Okay, so if you know what reverb is then this will make more sense. If you don't, Google it. "Reverb in" is just the sound coming out of the amplifier, which is sort of put in the reverb box to work it's magic, and "reverb out" is just the sound that comes out of the reverb box and goes out the amp and speakers.
Tried this amp in a music store today. But I felt the V5 sounds better... V18 is too bassy, I had to turn the bass all the way down to get some blue tone.
I tried this the other day in a store cause I needed to know what all the hype about and why it was so inexpensive. Now I know, you get what you pay for. This is a substandard amp. It's a toy in my book. Nobody who gigs should ever touch this thing. Sure with mods you can improve it but that would be like dropping a V8 into a Kia. Dont' buy the hype. A good solid state amp is way better than this. Way too much bass, not enough treble, terrible reverb. Not very inspiring tone all around.
hey im gonna get started with \m/ one of those bad boy's right there. I got a question, but before i get into it, i love watching you're vid's but haven't seen them all yet though. So i like to check out review's on stomp box's, loop pedal's, effects pedals(please pick me for the randall rt50 giveaway). People have touched on the subject but never hit it directly. Which is better multi effects pedals or lots of pedals?
@CKS5000 With alot of pedals and stomp boxes you can change the order of them and just really get some cool sounds and there are so many options for tone out there. With a multi effects there isn't as much choice. But it's all personal preference. What works for you and sounds good to you and works for you is great.
A bit less talk, more play please. More Chords, less single notes. You can't rally hear the complexity of the amp on single note lines, play some long, sustained chords, let them feedback. Set the reverb off or super low so it doesn't smear the tone. It would also sound MUCH better if you miked all your demos the same way - w/ a 57 on axis near the edge of the speaker or off axis near cone. Since this is how most of us would mike up for recording or a gig, it's a known quantity so to speak. Thx
hey TTK. i bought this amp before you did this video, and then we spoke about replacing the speaker. You suggested Texas Heat speaker.
for anyone reading this, this amp is 18w, and the original speaker is 50w 8ohms. the gain set low with the volume up can get a clean tone, at volumes fine for basement practice with drums.
i put the texas heat speaker in (which is 150w) knwing very well it wouldnt break up as much. but with the old speaker i could leave the gain @ about 1/4 and the volume up
The low-wattage tube combos coming out are great, the vox is no exception, but make sure you get the head and cab if you do that. The little speaker in the combo breaks up too soon and it ends up sounding like shit if you try to get any crunch out of it. These little crate V series amps are great, definitely pick one up if you can.
I think this amp prefers single coils. It also prefers a seamed paper cone guitar loudspeaker, and it definitely prefers better tubes. There's a 600-800 dollar amp in there, you just have to dig it out. I love mine, sprague coupling caps, JJ EL84s, NOS RCA 12AX7As, and I just put the internal speaker wires on my solid pine 2x15 cab with Jensen P-15s. It's now a vintage 18 watt that isn't going to die on me any time soon, and the alnico 15s match it perfectly, amazing sound. Wish I had a vid cam.
It's the stock speaker. The cone is "kevlar impregnated cellulose", which is a fancy way of saying PLASTIC. There isn't an amp in the world that's gonna sound good through a plastic coned speaker. At the price of these amps, you put in an $85 eminence speaker (choose a model according to your taste) and replace ALL the stock tubes, and then all the coupling caps on the termoinal strip nearest the input, replace them with NOS ceramic caps. Then you have a killer 18 watt for a total of 400 bucks.
hey tone king-I used to own the v33-212 and it suffered from the same issues as your v18. It's alot of amp for the money tho-nothing a tube swap and speaker upgrade wouldnt fix tho!
I was lucky enough to get a v50 when they were selling the last ones online for 200. Im in the process of a new Speaker and tubes and reverb tank now!
For a few bucks these cheap Crate amps can sound great. Google V18 mods . I have several V-series Crate and they ALL sound excellent with minor preamp tube changes or swapping a couple resistors around.
i got this amp for $150 brand new. have to say it is Extremely Bassy. Very Dark Sounding. Especially since its an open back. but the clean tone is amazing. IMO better than my carvin clean and my old fender clean (which i sold bc this clean was so much better)
TK i noticed you put a new speaker in. Do you MOD a lot of your hear? I might throw a new speaker in, thinking eminence, what do you think.
hey leaf - I think you should put a Texas heat in there. I just loaded up a Texas Heat, and it sounds REALLY good. I'll see if I can post a video of it. HIGHLY recommended!!!
Crate had a terrific design with the "VC" (Vintage Club) made in USA. They split that design to two lines: Palomino (USA) and the "V" series (China) demo'ed here. Still had good clean. But they chinced out on speakers, switched from separate EQ per channel to a shared EQ and had serious quality control issues with China. It was such an embarrassment to Crate, the parent company "Loud" abandoned the brand and introduced Blackheart as a "new" brand. Find a "VC"!!! Great sound, amazing value.
@phillyfrankb so blackhearts are the new crates? interesting. i dont really need a new amp, but if i can find one i might pick it up just to get a listen. i ended up putting a texas heat in there, and use a blood drive OD and this amp is a really nice small gigging/recording amp
hey man you know its horrible for the tubes to be rocking that amp all around, when the tubes are on you should not move your amp to prevent damage to the valves. (coming from a physics major)
Amp sounds great i have the palomino v32! keep rockin
@sportoflife881 I know it's 2 years later, but you know that this amp can be thrown to the other side of the room and still nothing! happens to it.. So your teory might be good, but not for this amp.
With the level at 3 and gain at 12 or higher isn't it loud as heck? Are you controlling the volume with the guitar or do you have the guitar volume dimed?
you said it isn't a metal amp, but if I ran my boss metal zone pedal on the clean setting, would I get a metal sound with the tube tone? lemme know soon thanks
these things are actually pretty eh for the money. the speaker is so crap that everything sounds real spongy(not in a big muff overdriven good way), even a bit farty sounding. cleans with a non strat style guitar are eh too.
Agreed. For the price - they are a killer 1x12 cabinet. I loaded up a Reverend Alltone 12" speaker and use it now as a 1x12. Plus - w/ a good speaker - it actually makes the amp sound better. Thanks for the comment!
I herd that crate owns black heart. thats whats taking over their tube amp side. for the money and the sound it cant be beat!!! black heart sounds to thin! and looks like a toy! crate should have keep these v amps with this price cant be beat!!! I own a marshall a fender a vox a hartke a rouge and 3 crates and it holds its own with any of them.I've been playing over 25 years and have 11 guitars from gibson to fender esp schecter agile drive epiphone washburn a couple nonames
stop crying, you should of seen the prices of the original V-series lulz. But it was so worth it. TK. Could you perhaps do a special on the old school V-series? the V50 perhappppssss?
These crate amps are a great deal. SOUND good for the money. Check out terawatt you can see one of these in a live performance. An American Fender strat is being played though it. vs a Gibson SG played though a Peavey windsor studio. Great job with the demo Imsjr.
can this amp still be heavy with like a pedal cause i play alot of music like linkin park and chevlle real new wave stuff and i need that heavy tone and iam looking into to getting this amp cuase its big sound for a cheap price
It's not voiced for modern tones, but it's relatively neutral compared to other vintage-voiced amps. There are better ways to get your tone, but if you are a budget then that would be a good decision. What is your budget exactly?
200 its pretty much the only amp i can find with 2x12 and i like thats its class a. But i play heavy kind of distortion so if i just leave it on the clean channel and get a pedal will i still be able to get that sound thats my biggest concern and only
Well, I think you might want to go with something else, then. If you are ok with a modelling amp, I'd go with something like a Peavey Vyper or a Vox Valvetronix. A lot of people will recommend a cube, but I don't think it's good for metal.
Is there any way to get rid of the flab, mudd, mush, bass, tightness on these amps!? $150 and I'd like to get one, but it just lacks IMO and the cleans are non existent.
"Cleans are non existant" ? Dude the cleans are the best thing about this amp. I have one, and I love it. The distortion is good, but only with some kind of EQ pedal and boost, but the cleans are pristine.
I use the BBE SOUL VIBE, the BEHRINGER Hell Babe in the video I have up here on youtube, but I have used the Boss MT-2, a Tremolo pedal and a phaser pedal by Behringer. For $150 bucks you can not go wrong.
I bought one of these, I tried several speakers and the stock is actually good. I tried mullards, telefunkens etc and tubes
do make it sound better. This thing is a crunch machine but the reverb sucks and it sounds bad clean. It is a pedal monster, loves fuzz or any other kind of pedal.
Any word on how the amp "cleans up" with some kind of distortion modification? I'm seriously considering upgrading from my tiny practice amp I've been using for...oh 5 or 6 years...I know it's a steal for the kind of upgrade I'm looking for, but it'd be nice to have some kind of conformation how well the sounds start flowing with some pedals.
At $150 for a tube amp, I will tell you we are all winners with this one. I might buy two before they are all gone. I'm more interested in whether this amp likes Greenbacks. Thanx.
I enjoyed my V18, but my playing leans towards the heavier(metal) side of things... as it is marketed, it's PERFECT for classic rock. The V18 LOVES pedals - I didn't find a pedal that it didn't get along great with. I usually kept my gain at 6, bass at 4, middle at 6, treble at 7. I'd like to see how it compares with the Peavey Windsor.
that amp sounds beautiful!
Brandon0648 1 month ago
This amp is not designed for that boogie kind of saturation. People seem so disappointed when they cant get it with this amp. You have to be realistic about what this amp was designed to do. Its also very touch sensitive, dynamic and very unforgiving. If your not a good player it will be revealed with this amp. It picks up EVERYTHING. You have to play clean and accurate. If you are not used to this kind of tone, you'll have to literally learn how to play the amp!
cfwilkins2003 2 months ago
Just bought one for $150. Sounds great. It could definitley use a different speaker to smooth it out a little bit. I run mine with the gain-4, level-10, bass-0, treble-10, mid-1, reverb-0. With those settings, this amp rocks. Great sounding 70s Marshall type of tone. Cant understand how people are getting such shitty tones with this amp. The key is to keep the gain control down at high volumes and let the power tubes give you drive and saturation. People arent setting the controls right.
cfwilkins2003 2 months ago
the best position for this amp is on OFF
The170460 7 months ago
@The170460 Do you not like it?
dparnell89 7 months ago
@dparnell89 i hate this amp. the lead guitarist of my band had play during one year with this one and the sound was horrible. We are lucky he sold it and replace it by a real tube amp a FENDER. Forgot this amp it's a shit.
The170460 7 months ago
I like the tone. I'm surprised because I've heard a lot of complaints about it. Getting this baby pretty soon!
markkkkkola 8 months ago
Sounds GOOD .... tone is what you do with it... If Stevie Ray Vaughan used this amp and people found out, they'd be selling like hotcakes. I laugh at the suckers who buy $3000 boutique amps that sound no better than this one does. I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe that I'm very happy with.... There is not just ONE answer for how to get cool tone .... even solid state amps can sound good... my 2 cents worth....
xpertfan 8 months ago
Does this amp take pedals well? daisy chain of boss pedals, chorus, flanger, oD and Ds1 padal. The problem with some amps, it looses the signal strength and need some compressor or attenuator pedal to juice it up..
keithsa41 8 months ago
reverb killing my desire to watch..
MikefromMesia 10 months ago
shity distortion
Omarcio25 10 months ago
i love this amp
hardcorepiss 10 months ago
Sounds kinda very fuzzy to me, uh?
Iszil 1 year ago
Just for the record... At the ending of Deep Purple's "Highway Star" (and this is something i forgot to mention maaaaaaany time ago) You can hear how somebody kicks the amp,which indeed had a what? a spring reverb tank!!!
A
Sergioterol 1 year ago
So...no clean tones at all? Not everyone wants to hear bluesy rock riffs. Makes it seem very one dimensional...
rpaluczak 1 year ago
well its bassy but maybe an equalizer pedal might help.
i got a question for you.
What does reverb in and reverb out do (back of the amp)?
i m wondering
plj766 1 year ago
@plj766
Okay, so if you know what reverb is then this will make more sense. If you don't, Google it. "Reverb in" is just the sound coming out of the amplifier, which is sort of put in the reverb box to work it's magic, and "reverb out" is just the sound that comes out of the reverb box and goes out the amp and speakers.
mrsocksman 11 months ago
i was looking up crateengins and see crate V18... thought it was a motor... :(
MrCoryjohnson1 1 year ago
how close is this amp to Crate V1512?
armyqpzm 1 year ago
I have it.
Havent change anything.
However it is good. Its tube-you hear it.
Its very bassy as said and very LOUD.
Lots of people say with some changes you can make this amp a lot better.
So in this price you cant beat it.
If you got no money try v-18 and peavey windsor (has on board attenuator).
plj766 1 year ago
I changed that crappy, stock speaker out with a Private Jack on mine and what a huge difference. TS-9 is a nice touch too.
klondykebill 1 year ago
Tried this amp in a music store today. But I felt the V5 sounds better... V18 is too bassy, I had to turn the bass all the way down to get some blue tone.
billykcyzg 1 year ago
I tried this the other day in a store cause I needed to know what all the hype about and why it was so inexpensive. Now I know, you get what you pay for. This is a substandard amp. It's a toy in my book. Nobody who gigs should ever touch this thing. Sure with mods you can improve it but that would be like dropping a V8 into a Kia. Dont' buy the hype. A good solid state amp is way better than this. Way too much bass, not enough treble, terrible reverb. Not very inspiring tone all around.
pablovibes 1 year ago
hey im gonna get started with \m/ one of those bad boy's right there. I got a question, but before i get into it, i love watching you're vid's but haven't seen them all yet though. So i like to check out review's on stomp box's, loop pedal's, effects pedals(please pick me for the randall rt50 giveaway). People have touched on the subject but never hit it directly. Which is better multi effects pedals or lots of pedals?
CKS5000 1 year ago
@CKS5000 With alot of pedals and stomp boxes you can change the order of them and just really get some cool sounds and there are so many options for tone out there. With a multi effects there isn't as much choice. But it's all personal preference. What works for you and sounds good to you and works for you is great.
ASuperModelSuicide 1 year ago
this amp its loud ???
csmgay 1 year ago
Man, that reverb sounds nasty and useless. Other than that I'm surprised at how good it sounds otherwise.
nadsat 1 year ago
even with the level at 3, isn't that thing loud as f*&k?!?!
csjvgirls 1 year ago
A bit less talk, more play please. More Chords, less single notes. You can't rally hear the complexity of the amp on single note lines, play some long, sustained chords, let them feedback. Set the reverb off or super low so it doesn't smear the tone. It would also sound MUCH better if you miked all your demos the same way - w/ a 57 on axis near the edge of the speaker or off axis near cone. Since this is how most of us would mike up for recording or a gig, it's a known quantity so to speak. Thx
kingofthebrittains 1 year ago
more importantly, can it get loud of clean??
abarbar06 2 years ago
can this thing get clean at all??
abarbar06 2 years ago
hey TTK. i bought this amp before you did this video, and then we spoke about replacing the speaker. You suggested Texas Heat speaker.
for anyone reading this, this amp is 18w, and the original speaker is 50w 8ohms. the gain set low with the volume up can get a clean tone, at volumes fine for basement practice with drums.
i put the texas heat speaker in (which is 150w) knwing very well it wouldnt break up as much. but with the old speaker i could leave the gain @ about 1/4 and the volume up
jvkeboxhero 2 years ago
150$? where do you buy your amps from?
I am looking for a affordable tube combo amp for my home recording I was thinking a VOX AC4TV what would you recommend ?
ushanrokz 2 years ago
The low-wattage tube combos coming out are great, the vox is no exception, but make sure you get the head and cab if you do that. The little speaker in the combo breaks up too soon and it ends up sounding like shit if you try to get any crunch out of it. These little crate V series amps are great, definitely pick one up if you can.
otherrandomhero 2 years ago
I think this amp prefers single coils. It also prefers a seamed paper cone guitar loudspeaker, and it definitely prefers better tubes. There's a 600-800 dollar amp in there, you just have to dig it out. I love mine, sprague coupling caps, JJ EL84s, NOS RCA 12AX7As, and I just put the internal speaker wires on my solid pine 2x15 cab with Jensen P-15s. It's now a vintage 18 watt that isn't going to die on me any time soon, and the alnico 15s match it perfectly, amazing sound. Wish I had a vid cam.
punkeratheart 2 years ago 5
That sounds fucking gash.
willieturnip 2 years ago
It's the stock speaker. The cone is "kevlar impregnated cellulose", which is a fancy way of saying PLASTIC. There isn't an amp in the world that's gonna sound good through a plastic coned speaker. At the price of these amps, you put in an $85 eminence speaker (choose a model according to your taste) and replace ALL the stock tubes, and then all the coupling caps on the termoinal strip nearest the input, replace them with NOS ceramic caps. Then you have a killer 18 watt for a total of 400 bucks.
punkeratheart 2 years ago
hey tone king-I used to own the v33-212 and it suffered from the same issues as your v18. It's alot of amp for the money tho-nothing a tube swap and speaker upgrade wouldnt fix tho!
scorpguitar79 2 years ago
Mine sounds better after I did the tone and reverb mod. I also replaced some 12AX7's with 12AT7's for great improvement.
FutureTimes 2 years ago
I was lucky enough to get a v50 when they were selling the last ones online for 200. Im in the process of a new Speaker and tubes and reverb tank now!
unearth91 2 years ago
yup ur music shop is rite
FingerLickinGravy67 2 years ago
is this tube? cause my local music shop at at crate v18 212 i think and he said it was all tube
samworthington123 2 years ago
i think its a tube amp because he said it's warming up the tubes
Kristianeb 2 years ago 4
no not van halen man listen to it
FingerLickinGravy67 2 years ago
These amps are great for their price. The older USA Crate amps with the tone tubby speakers are much better but these are good so enjoy :)
intheblues 2 years ago
Hey, I'm looking to get the 212 version, does it have a line out?
m0ckingbirda 2 years ago
I have it. Yes, it has a line out, but no XLR.(I wouldn't expect an xlr line out in something this price though)
tight384 2 years ago
where can i get one of these, do websites sell these?
TyLaw321 2 years ago
Doesn't sound too bad, but it just looks sooo cheap!!
Blinkingfever 2 years ago
For a few bucks these cheap Crate amps can sound great. Google V18 mods . I have several V-series Crate and they ALL sound excellent with minor preamp tube changes or swapping a couple resistors around.
terryorr 2 years ago
Is this amp good for doing Van Halen sounds ?
Bakoryu28 2 years ago
i got this amp for $150 brand new. have to say it is Extremely Bassy. Very Dark Sounding. Especially since its an open back. but the clean tone is amazing. IMO better than my carvin clean and my old fender clean (which i sold bc this clean was so much better)
TK i noticed you put a new speaker in. Do you MOD a lot of your hear? I might throw a new speaker in, thinking eminence, what do you think.
leafinfirerob 2 years ago
hey leaf - I think you should put a Texas heat in there. I just loaded up a Texas Heat, and it sounds REALLY good. I'll see if I can post a video of it. HIGHLY recommended!!!
lmsjr 2 years ago
thanks a lot i probably will do this very soon. and dont listen to the chuckleheads that say you talk to much. thats what reviews are about.
leafinfirerob 2 years ago
@lmsjr hey imsjr do you think you would be willing to sell that amp?
maciverandy 1 year ago
Crate had a terrific design with the "VC" (Vintage Club) made in USA. They split that design to two lines: Palomino (USA) and the "V" series (China) demo'ed here. Still had good clean. But they chinced out on speakers, switched from separate EQ per channel to a shared EQ and had serious quality control issues with China. It was such an embarrassment to Crate, the parent company "Loud" abandoned the brand and introduced Blackheart as a "new" brand. Find a "VC"!!! Great sound, amazing value.
phillyfrankb 5 months ago
@phillyfrankb so blackhearts are the new crates? interesting. i dont really need a new amp, but if i can find one i might pick it up just to get a listen. i ended up putting a texas heat in there, and use a blood drive OD and this amp is a really nice small gigging/recording amp
jvkeboxhero 4 months ago
hey man you know its horrible for the tubes to be rocking that amp all around, when the tubes are on you should not move your amp to prevent damage to the valves. (coming from a physics major)
Amp sounds great i have the palomino v32! keep rockin
sportoflife881 2 years ago
Hey sport - thanks for the tip. Much appreciated!! Rock on.
TTK
lmsjr 2 years ago
@sportoflife881 yeah thanks for that info I just picked up my first tube amp and I'm sure I'd be moving it around if I hadn't read this
markkkkkola 8 months ago
@sportoflife881 I know it's 2 years later, but you know that this amp can be thrown to the other side of the room and still nothing! happens to it.. So your teory might be good, but not for this amp.
rastamaniakTHC 6 months ago
Haha nice try for Four Horsemen
Bakoryu28 2 years ago
I try :-)
lmsjr 2 years ago
@lmsjr hey would you trade me yer v18 for my palomino 16?
maciverandy 1 year ago
With the level at 3 and gain at 12 or higher isn't it loud as heck? Are you controlling the volume with the guitar or do you have the guitar volume dimed?
csjvgirls 2 years ago
You talk too much dude. Just get on with the amp
nonamenowwhat 2 years ago
you said it isn't a metal amp, but if I ran my boss metal zone pedal on the clean setting, would I get a metal sound with the tube tone? lemme know soon thanks
dropkickurteeth44 2 years ago
Do you recommend running multieffects pedals thru tihs amp? In case I get and urge.
earll2001 2 years ago
I run pedals through mine, handles them very well.
ShameofaNation 2 years ago
This or the peavey 212?
razzp25 3 years ago
these things are actually pretty eh for the money. the speaker is so crap that everything sounds real spongy(not in a big muff overdriven good way), even a bit farty sounding. cleans with a non strat style guitar are eh too.
Tanikaze2 3 years ago
Agreed. For the price - they are a killer 1x12 cabinet. I loaded up a Reverend Alltone 12" speaker and use it now as a 1x12. Plus - w/ a good speaker - it actually makes the amp sound better. Thanks for the comment!
lmsjr 3 years ago
there's a sale of them near my house
psychowolf271 3 years ago
Buying mine today, cant wait. Used - $180
felixayala05 3 years ago
I herd that crate owns black heart. thats whats taking over their tube amp side. for the money and the sound it cant be beat!!! black heart sounds to thin! and looks like a toy! crate should have keep these v amps with this price cant be beat!!! I own a marshall a fender a vox a hartke a rouge and 3 crates and it holds its own with any of them.I've been playing over 25 years and have 11 guitars from gibson to fender esp schecter agile drive epiphone washburn a couple nonames
h31h31 3 years ago
honestly i cant complain about anything with its price tag man! Sounds great
MartellCognac 3 years ago
The stock tubes are kind of crap, but for the price it is worth switching em out. I picked one up recently and it takes to pedals VERY well.
roningunman56 3 years ago
man they jacked the price up on these.... i just looked 1-30-09 and they want dang near 400 dollars for it
FrettiYeti 3 years ago
stop crying, you should of seen the prices of the original V-series lulz. But it was so worth it. TK. Could you perhaps do a special on the old school V-series? the V50 perhappppssss?
EL34 3 years ago
liked so much I got two 18w combo 33w head
h31h31 3 years ago
has a nice reverb,very deep and round sound, thanks for the demo
rickso12 3 years ago
this is horrible, is the dirt coming from the cam?
tragictravisty 3 years ago
sounds awesome
astroboyracer247 3 years ago
These crate amps are a great deal. SOUND good for the money. Check out terawatt you can see one of these in a live performance. An American Fender strat is being played though it. vs a Gibson SG played though a Peavey windsor studio. Great job with the demo Imsjr.
bracdc 3 years ago
Is this Crate loud enough to gig with?
rconnie 3 years ago
40 watts of tube is equal to 120 watts of solid state. do the math, it would probubly equal, about 60 watts? so yes it is.
MetalScreamer510 3 years ago
Man you can't beat this for 150 bucks!!!!
ryanmichael95 3 years ago 2
THANKS TK
YOU MAKE GREAT REVIEWS
YOU MADE ME BUY BC RICH IRONBIRD and I WILL BUY 6260 :)
lsh10270 3 years ago
Crate palomino blow this amp away , that version is bad .
dimarzioooo 3 years ago
The reverb is pretty awful.
mooghammondb3 3 years ago 2
I didn't like it at all..
Struven1 3 years ago
Does any one know why CRATE discontinued these amps?
That1Guy356 3 years ago
No they haven't check out musicians friend. you can get the v18 2x12 speakers and an all tube for $200 so it's basically a steal.
thadeusgodfrey 3 years ago
why?
ADNUIDMDE 3 years ago
The local music store said that Crate moved the manufacturing to China and that the amps keep breaking.
That1Guy356 3 years ago
yep, mine did....im getting a replacement tomorrow
MattE5150VH 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Is it true that every guitarist who has purchased one of these amps disappears within a few months and is put to work at a Mexican Fender factory ?
rhykko77 3 years ago
can this amp still be heavy with like a pedal cause i play alot of music like linkin park and chevlle real new wave stuff and i need that heavy tone and iam looking into to getting this amp cuase its big sound for a cheap price
kingofska108 3 years ago
It's not voiced for modern tones, but it's relatively neutral compared to other vintage-voiced amps. There are better ways to get your tone, but if you are a budget then that would be a good decision. What is your budget exactly?
stienerfist2 3 years ago
200 its pretty much the only amp i can find with 2x12 and i like thats its class a. But i play heavy kind of distortion so if i just leave it on the clean channel and get a pedal will i still be able to get that sound thats my biggest concern and only
kingofska108 3 years ago
Well, I think you might want to go with something else, then. If you are ok with a modelling amp, I'd go with something like a Peavey Vyper or a Vox Valvetronix. A lot of people will recommend a cube, but I don't think it's good for metal.
stienerfist2 3 years ago
alright cool thanks alot for the help man i appreciate it!
kingofska108 3 years ago
Is there any way to get rid of the flab, mudd, mush, bass, tightness on these amps!? $150 and I'd like to get one, but it just lacks IMO and the cleans are non existent.
joesl8 3 years ago
"Cleans are non existant" ? Dude the cleans are the best thing about this amp. I have one, and I love it. The distortion is good, but only with some kind of EQ pedal and boost, but the cleans are pristine.
matt420740 3 years ago
it doesnt really sound like that its the mic on the camera
dkrumrie123 3 years ago
Peavey Windsor
Lubial 3 years ago
Are you kidding? The Windsor blows. The Valveking sounds great, though. Neither are anywhere near this cheap, though.
Yarbicus 3 years ago
I'd like to see this up against the hot rod delux.
max051472 3 years ago
how does this dude get all of that gear
akaboo69 3 years ago
im not sure i see the led zep sound, but im certainly buying this amp, it seems very good
AxeSlinger25 3 years ago
does it have a better tone than the vox pathfinder 15r
chum944 3 years ago
I would expect it does because it's got tubes to get an authentic tube sound. It maybe louder because it's 15 watts of tube power.
theone2088 3 years ago
I own the Crate V18 and it is just great! Works well with pedals.
DethAng3l 3 years ago
Hey, DethAng31 - What kinda pedals do you run with your V18?
zorroofgarland 3 years ago
I use the BBE SOUL VIBE, the BEHRINGER Hell Babe in the video I have up here on youtube, but I have used the Boss MT-2, a Tremolo pedal and a phaser pedal by Behringer. For $150 bucks you can not go wrong.
DethAng3l 3 years ago
Tone King, I just wanted to know, how many amps and guitars do you have? The Tone Lounge looks like it has enough gear to fill an entire warehouse!
TheGamingGuitarist 3 years ago
I'd like to see a shootout between this Crate, the Blackheart Little Giant and the Peavey Windsor.
TheGamingGuitarist 3 years ago
Sure would love you to play with some pedals with that thing because the price is so tempting, but need to hear it with pedals.
zorroofgarland 3 years ago
I bought one of these, I tried several speakers and the stock is actually good. I tried mullards, telefunkens etc and tubes
do make it sound better. This thing is a crunch machine but the reverb sucks and it sounds bad clean. It is a pedal monster, loves fuzz or any other kind of pedal.
gringo699c 3 years ago
Any word on how the amp "cleans up" with some kind of distortion modification? I'm seriously considering upgrading from my tiny practice amp I've been using for...oh 5 or 6 years...I know it's a steal for the kind of upgrade I'm looking for, but it'd be nice to have some kind of conformation how well the sounds start flowing with some pedals.
mortsde 3 years ago
At $150 for a tube amp, I will tell you we are all winners with this one. I might buy two before they are all gone. I'm more interested in whether this amp likes Greenbacks. Thanx.
luluersj 3 years ago
its breathe fyi :P
haharoadkillking 3 years ago
i would say a face off between the fender. great vid btw
NatsPotats 3 years ago
I enjoyed my V18, but my playing leans towards the heavier(metal) side of things... as it is marketed, it's PERFECT for classic rock. The V18 LOVES pedals - I didn't find a pedal that it didn't get along great with. I usually kept my gain at 6, bass at 4, middle at 6, treble at 7. I'd like to see how it compares with the Peavey Windsor.
tony93666 3 years ago
Blackheart Vs Crate definitely.
The Windsor seems to be a step above those two
t3hgir 3 years ago
Its still a better tone that most SS amps out there today, but i do agree its a little fuzzy, but if you like that then its fine!
t3hgir 3 years ago
I also have to put my vote in for the BlackHeart Little Giant.
guitardbucket 3 years ago
I'd like this bad boy to go up against all of them!
But if I had to pick one to go up against, I'd go with the Fender just because the elitists think that Fenders are the only combos to bother with.
Fenders are good, but I don't think that they're the only game in town.
I can't wait to see your next vid!
AndySan 3 years ago
I just don't like the tone here. It sounds buzzy, grainy, and the lows are a little farty.
It would be interesting to see what an overdrive pedal would be like on it.
FreeTalkLive 3 years ago
4 HORSEMEN FTW!!!!! not as much as the metal sound on this amp...
superhappyboss 3 years ago
you've got a shit load of pedals, why dont you actually try one with it?
predz23 3 years ago
blackheart!
MatsuuraAya 3 years ago
I gotta agree blackheart an crate
FilthyInsomniac 3 years ago
shootout: Crate V18 vs. Blackheart Little Giant
codyt5 3 years ago
Love the video. As for the shootout, I would like to see this against the BlackHeart little giant.
xxxmusiclover 3 years ago
awesome review,
Tanikaze2 3 years ago