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Author
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Topic: Crate Power Block
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Cartwright Thompson
Member From: Portland, Maine, USA
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posted 31 August 2005 02:14 AM
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Has anybody tried one of these for steel? 4 1/2 lbs., 150 watts, and $200 new. |
Roger Kelly
Member From: Mount Carmel, TN. 37645
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posted 31 August 2005 05:30 AM
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I haven't tried one yet, but it seems to have some good possibilities. Here is a link to more information about it. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_id/130395 |
Len Amaral
Member From: Rehoboth,MA 02769
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posted 31 August 2005 06:25 AM
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The amp looks interesting as it only is only weighs 5 poundsand is 150 watts mono and 75 watts stereo. The down side is, it can not be used with a single 4 ohm speaker. I emailed crate and that was the response.The amp amp for its size has some nice features. Does the universal power supply mean a wall wart? |
Jon Light
Member From: Brooklyn, NY
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posted 31 August 2005 10:09 AM
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I got one a couple of months ago (I posted about it then) and I used it on a gig for the first time last week. I have it mounted on a pedal board. Ran it into a Marrs cab w/ Weber Cali 15" speaker. In other words, an ultra portable rig.
It works. It sounds acceptable. I think it is a great solution for specific needs (portablility, light weight, decent power). It doesn't sound fantastic. It lacks sparkle. I have several amps that this won't touch in terms of sound quality. It is not nearly as loud as the 150W imply because a lot of that 150W of power is in the high gain realm. The high gain sounds are poor. But the borderline settings with just a little breakup sound decent if you aren't a clean freak.
Bottom line--I haved no regrets about this unit (other than having to explain how I can possibly have something made by Crate in my rig) and will definitely use it when the occasion warrants.
This particular gig, btw, is in a place that due to neighborhood complaints requires all bands to use the house backline. This consists of a Peavey Classic 20 and a couple of Fender Pro Jrs. Not exactly PSG rigs. And last time I played there the PV was in the shop. A Pro Jr. just won't get the job done. So this time I brought the Crate rig and explained to the sound guy who said no prob.
I'll post pics of the pedalboard later on. |
Jon Light
Member From: Brooklyn, NY
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posted 31 August 2005 10:57 AM
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This pedalboard has a soft case with a shoulder strap. Not what you would call bullet-proof. But if you are careful, you truly can wheel you steel in its case (I've got wheels mounted to the case), carry the speaker in the other hand (less than 20 Lbs I think) with the pedalboard on your shoulder.
As to the power supply question---the transformer is internal. There is a standard detachable AC power cord.
The effects loop is cool. My Holy Grail reverb unit tends to put out a lot of hiss but it is dead quiet when run in the loop. You can also run a Pod directly into the loop, bypassing the preamp and its minor sonic limitations.
[This message was edited by Jon Light on 31 August 2005 at 11:12 AM.] |
David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 31 August 2005 05:19 PM
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There was a thread on this a month or so ago. It's basically a cheap low-fi solid state guitar amp, and probably sounds about like that. With the right preamp and speaker it might do for moderate volume steel. But it wont sound like a NV 400 or NV 1000. And may not sound as good or any louder and cleaner than a NV 112, and with a preamp and speaker, might no be much smaller and lighter (but will be broken up into smaller packages). It certainly will not sound like a big Fender tube amp, but will be a lot lighter. |
Cartwright Thompson
Member From: Portland, Maine, USA
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posted 01 September 2005 01:41 AM
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Thanks guys. I figured it was probably too good to be true. The same thing happened with the Clarus amp. I bought one of those (and luckily was able to return it) and tried everything to get a good sound out of it. It sounded terrible, and at about $600!
I've said it before, you have to suffer for tone...i.e. my '66 Twin with JBL's weighs in at about 83lbs but it sounds rather good. |
Darvin Willhoite
Member From: Leander, Tx. USA
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posted 05 September 2005 03:15 PM
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Cartwright, I assume you are referring to the Acoustic Image Clarus? I have an AI Coda R which is basically the same amp, that I really like, I guess everyone has their own opinions. I saw Brad Sarno had a Crate Power Block at the convention to power headphones I assume. I would like to hear his opinion of the amp. ------------------
Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording
[This message was edited by Darvin Willhoite on 05 September 2005 at 03:16 PM.]
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Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 05 September 2005 05:50 PM
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Yea, I borrowed the Crate strictly for a headphone amp/preamp for demo-ing the black box. I've only messed with it as a power amp for a little bit. The preamp will overdrive so you can use it as a rock or dirty rig. It's quite loud for guitar and extremely handy with all it's hookups and comactness. I think it'd be pretty handy for Pod users. I believe that it uses 2 class-D (digital) amps to keep things light and small. It's pretty cheap and made in China for Crate. I wouldn't say it had an especially good sound to it, not bad either, it's more neutral and pretty solid state sounding. Primarily it's a very utilitarian and multi-purpose piece of gear. Looks cool too. Brad |
David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 05 September 2005 06:59 PM
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There's a review of the Crate Powerblock in the October issue of Guitar Player magazine. It has some interesting features on paper, but I haven't tried one myself. Maybe those who have tried it can comment on some of these features. It has tube-emulating circuitry in the preamp (FlexWave Evolution 6). The headphone circuit and the XLR outputs use this to emulate a 4x12 cabinet. This seems like a great idea, because guitars usually sound harsh through solid state headphone circuits and direct into a board. There is a CD input jack that is not affected by the speaker emulation circuitry. So at $200 bucks, this small thing could be a very handy practice amp, and a very practical backup amp to carry around. With a decent preamp or amp/speaker modeler, it could be a handy power amp, and with a minimixer could even be a backup PA for small clubs. So maybe this thing is moving in the right direction for the future. |
Jack Stoner
Sysop From: Inverness, Florida
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posted 06 September 2005 02:57 AM
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I tried out Brad's "Black Box" and the setup he had with the Crate and headphones unfortunately wasn't a good demo. Brad would have been better of being outside the convention room where he could have an amp to try it with and provide a more realistic environment. With an RV3 (they tend to change the tone), Crate and headphones that, to me, was the worst combination. |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 06 September 2005 11:19 AM
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Yea Jack, that Crate wasn't at all ideal for a steel headphone situation, but I was in a pinch and it was the closest thing I could round up last minute. Last year I had my PODxt for demo, but I sold it this year. The RV-3 was there because so many guys are used to it, and it's a quick and easy verb/delay sound. Even though the Crate headphone rig didn't sound that flattering, it still allowed people to have a A/B comparison with the Black Box in and out. They could switch between suck and less suck  Jack, it was good to meet you finally.Brad |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 06 September 2005 01:12 PM
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Oh, you also made a great point. I may really need to consider renting a booth outside the main hall next time. I agree that headphones are really no way to hear steel when compared to using an amp. And now with the new preamp, I may just get a booth where we can make some real noise. Although I get to see a lot more steel playing when I'm in the room!Brad |
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