On 2002-07-04, Justin gave this Crate Bass Guitar Amplifier a 3...(2396)
Purchase: I bought it from Guitarget (Guitar Center) for $349 + tax.
Pros: First of, I liked the price. This thing makes a lot of noise and has plenty of tone shaping abilities for $350. The contour knob and 9-band eq really impressed me in the store and I can find an adequate position for the controls for most playing styles.
Cons: However, although I can find an adequate sound for most styles, NONE of them are any more than adequate. This thing lacks that one good or great tone that I'm looking for. Also, it is the exact wrong size for me. It's too weak to compete with an acoustic drum set and overkill for a practice amp. It's pretty heavy too, and the handle on top is worthless, but a trip to Home Depot for casters fixed that problem. And finally, after 2 years the thing is starting to crap out on me. The input is getting glitchy and the whole thing rattles on certain notes.
Quality: The box seems pretty sturdy but I'm not going to drop it out a window to find out. I can't really answer this one because I've never let anything too bad happen to this amp.
Summary: At the time I bought it it was quite the contender in its price bracket but now there are some new rivals. Before you buy this A/B it to the SWR LA-15 and the new Berhinger 120 Watt 12" combo. I would give it a 4 because the features are all you can expect for the price, but it gets the 3 because it's starting to go bad. If someone stole it I wouldn't buy another one. I feel that I've outgrown this amp and now have plans for an Eden CXC combo.
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