Crate V50-112 guitar amp
Written: Dec 08 '08 (Updated Jan 16 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: best value ever offered for a large tube combo amp
Cons: some reviews question the amps reliability
The Bottom Line: A better deal than anything being offered now for a guitar amp , I just hope the amp holds up
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| cheetah1's Full Review: Crate V50-112 Guitar Combo Amplifier (50 Watts, 1x... |
This is a review of the crate V-50 112 guitar amp that I just picked up from music123.com. The V-50 112 is a 50 watt amp with two 6L6GC power tubes and three 12AX7A preamp tubes. The amp has a nice sounding 12 inch speaker with a 30 ounce magnet. The speaker is 8 ohms. There is a speaker out jack in back of the amp. The main speaker is on when you hook up an external cab to the amp.
This is a 2 channel amp. One channel is clean the other overdrive. There is no footswitch that is an option you have to buy.
The amp has 3 equalizer settings, treble, middle and bass. The bass can get very loud and boomy so at livingroom levels it's best to turn the bass equalizer knob down. The amp sounds very good at lower volume levels.
There is a 2 spring reverb tank located at the bottom of the amp made by Ruby, the same company that supplies tubes to the amp. The reverb is disappointing, too much of a cave reverb effect so I keep it low at about a 3 setting on the reverb knob. There is also a presence button that adds brightness and punch to the output signal. There is a standby switch on top of the amp to preserve tube life when not playing. The amp can be run at 115 AC or 220 volt AC mains.
There is an effects send jack in back of the amp and an effects return jack. The effects return jack disconnects the preamp stage of the amp.
The V-50 112 comes in at a weight of about 43 pounds. The dimensions are 19 inches in height, 24 inches in length and 11 inches in width. The amp is well constructed there is no problems with the cabinet and the electrics look neat and tidy inside the amp.
The amp has nice sounding clean tones. Not on the same audio quality level as a Fender deluxe reverb tube amp but still very good. The overdrive channel is good for vintage rock. There is a boost switch on top of the amp that gives a 10 Db boost to midrange frequences.
Some have mentioned that the amp sounds like a Fender bassman amp and I would have to agree with that, especially when the amp is being overdriven. This is a vintage sounding amp even though it has about seven computer chips and seven transistors in the circuitry. I have 6 modeling amps at home which include a Fender superchamp XD and a Line 6 flextone 3 and the Crate sounds a bit better than those modeling amps. The amp offers a bit more sparkle on the top 3 strings of your guitar while you play and the amp has a
fuller more warm tone than my other modeling amps.
Adding a modeling guitar processor will make the Crate amp more versatile but will also degrade the sound quality a bit. For any hard rock or metal playing you will need a pedal or amp modeler. I'm impressed on how quiet the amp is when no notes are being played.
Several websites like zzounds.com, music123.com and musiciansfriend are selling the Crate V-50 112 for 200 dollars which is what I paid. I also got free shipping.
Some high profile players like Joe Walsh of the Eagles used to play the Crate V-50 in concert but I think he was using American made amps. Ampeg used to manufacture the V series of guitar amps here in America a few years ago. I have a smaller Crate tube combo that was manufactured by Ampeg here in the states.
This amp is made in China and comes with a 5 year warranty. If you intend to gig with the amp I would bring a backup amp in case this thing breaks down. This is a cheap Chinese amp not some high quality Rivera or Bogner tube amp.
I have never seen a guitar amp with these features and power being offered to the public for such a low price so picking one up is pretty much a no-brainer unless you already have a large tube combo to jam with. I'll give this amp 5 stars and deduct one star for the not-to-hot sounding spring reverb tank. I wish you luck with your purchase!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cheetah1
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Member: Bruce
Location: Morongo Valley,California
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
China's products may be taking over the world but their environment is paying the price
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