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Post by Tony Ravenscroft on Dec 5, 2020 22:15:56 GMT -6
First, you get stuck with the back-story.  It was probably 1998. The rain was coming down solid, but I was on a mission. The last half-decent guitar amplifier I'd ever owned was a small Ampeg bass amp, back in 1978. My little Texas Tornado (more about that some other time) was far too clean, even with the overdrive I'd installed in my Univox (also another story). I needed something with a bit of personality, a hint of professionalism, so that I could keep improving my guitar abilities. For the first time in years, certainly since my divorce, I had the trifecta: nice car, good job, comfortable house. One day on my way home from work, I knew it was time to fill in the gap. I didn't want a new amp, though, because I'd seen people buy gear that didn't really suit them, but they got ego-involved with their choice and so confined their abilities to suit the equipment. My intent was something good enough, so that after a year or two, I would have a better idea of what would suit me best, and I would have no regrets about finding a replacement. That took me straight to Encore Music, south of downtown Minneapolis (Lyndale Ave. at 24th St.), where owner Chad Speck had put up with me for a couple of years. The sky was slate gray, giving everything the color of an hour before sunset but punctuated by occasional lightning bursts. I managed to park a mere 30 feet away from Encore and so was only somewhat wet as I entered. Ignoring the glorious random assortment of guitars, I quickly spotted my ideal amplifier: the little Gallien-Krueger 250ML "lunchbox" made famous by Alex Lifeson. Smaller than many heads, it sports two 6" speakers, weighs at least 30 pounds, throws out an impressive 50w/50w, and even has a low-impedance output so it can go direct to a soundboard. Chad was asking a mere $150. Though I was already reaching for my checkbook, I paused to actually try it out first. Plugged everything in, played for a bit... and liked it, but didn't love it. That bummed me out a little, and now the rain was sheeting down, so I chose to relax and prowl around, checking dark corners for something unanticipated. |
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Post by Tony Ravenscroft on Dec 5, 2020 22:33:37 GMT -6
I did find something that made me laugh, the bottom rung of a sort of totem pole of small combo-sized amps.
Now, transistor (solid-state) amplifiers are superior to tube (valve) amps in some significant ways. Transistor amps can get the same output as tube yet be much smaller and lighter, and certainly run a lot cooler. They don't need bias adjustment, rarely need parts replaced, and stand up a whole lot better to being thrown around.
But their sound also tends to be too clean, too perfect for rock-and-roll or blues guitar, lacking critical qualities like "punch" and "personality" and "warmth." Any overdriving of the power stage just sounds harsh and muddy. Transistors, in other words, are great for bass and keyboards and pedal steel and voice... but not so much for guitar.
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Post by Tony Ravenscroft on Dec 5, 2020 23:18:26 GMT -6
Years before, I'd tried out a Crate CR-1. It was housed in... well, in a crate, a strange box made from wood planks, stained and shellacked. While the case definitely stood out from the usual Tolex herd, the sound of the CR-1 didn't impress me at all. And there, at Encore Music, was its descendant. The face said it was a CR-100EV. The lineage was clear, but the case was a significant improvement over the early models. It looked something like this:  The one I excavated had the two stacked knobs on the right broken off, the reverb tank was gone, and a wood crosspiece on the back was missing. Other than that, it seemed in half-decent shape, and Chad said I could haul it away for less than $100. After a few minutes of play, I was interested. Despite all the controls being scratchy, the amp certainly had some punch to it. The overdrive was better than I expected. Pull out the Bass knob for "fat," the Treble knob for "bright." And the two knobs between are a "mid-analyzer" -- a simple parametric equalizer, where you set the midpoint and adjusted the boost/cut knob as you needed. (A third knob could maybe have set the width of the curve, but that's a quibble, really.) A parametric is TOTALLY better than a graphic EQ for guitar... and this is one of the few times I've seen it used on an amp. Oh, yeah, about those little broken-off knobs. Enough stub remained that I was able to turn them. They allow both the Gain and Volume levels to be set for when Overdrive is selected (either pull out the Reverb knob or step on the footswitch). Set both pairs to about the same level, and the output tone warms up substantially when Overdrive kicks in -- very nice. What really sold me was when I turned it around for a better look at the back panel.  That is one of the most amazing examples of over-engineering that I have ever seen. - when is the last time you had an amp with an AC jack?
- not only a lo-Z out, but hi-Z and a pad knob! It can be run to a board, or to a power amp.
- effects loop
- a serious transformer
- big transistors on a no-nonsense heat sink guarded by a "we're not kidding, buddy" perforated cage
- and in case you missed it, that would be a cast-aluminum 12" Electro Voice frame
Better still: the lo-Z out is designed to send a sufficient line level even when the main speaker output is at conversational levels -- genius. One more surprise: both feeds simulate the speaker's rolloff characteristics, so miking the speaker is generally unnecessary. I mean, this amp seems like it was designed with advice from people who've done both live sound and recording. The CR-100EV doesn't actually push out 100 watts like the name suggests, but at 90 wRMS the dB difference is close enough for rock-and-roll. One more thing: according to the adsheets, this model is also known as the Condor. |
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Post by Tony Ravenscroft on May 22, 2022 11:57:54 GMT -6
{You likely found this thread via some search engine or another. You may have also read one of my first public posts on the Internet.  Dated April 7 2000.}Sound Quality Despite the collection, my prime guitar is a Univox High-Flyer (bought new 1974 -- more later) with a handbuilt overdrive/line driver. Usually, the result is a very cool transistor-fuzz psychedelia sound, but the Crate is one of the few amps with which I can kick out the ever-lovin' blues! Unfuzzed (or with my Arbor "Randy Rhodes") this amp has a jaw-dropping '60s crunch you'd expect from something vintage, like tube to a soft-iron transformer into an Alnico speaker. Two channels (switchable): normal/overdrive. Controls: bass (+/-5 & "pull for fat"), mid (+/-5 freq & 0-10 level), treble (+/-5 & "pull for bright"), reverb ("pull for overdrive"), gain (nested), & master (nested) -- if you don't know, nested means two controls per knob, so you can set the amount the preamp overdrives the amp for each channel. Essentially, the result is a 3-band boost-cut, with the two mid knobs allowing a degree of parametric control, and I can get a solid low crunch with sweet highs & no mid-mud -- and this from the Univox, which has the dubious stock humbuckers. Because of the "soft iron" compression, I can run a slight distort in and play hugely sustaining feedback notes at a level that doesn't interfere with conversation, then stomp the switch & get a sweet jazzy, plummy tone. [WARNING -- Kids!! Medium-weight strings give you much more of a dynamic range!! Don't try this with your ultra-light .006 sets!!] Using the Crate as a driver to my studio deck, I've gotten good results with my Applause electric mandolin, & even my Vox bass. I play blues, metal, jazz, Irish, Arabic, thrash, and folk, and the Crate has never deserved less than "darn good" in any of them -- and I've been let down by a Roland Jazz Chorus. If you're not this eclectic, you may never touch the knobs. Reliability/Durability The wood "crate" case construction, while both pretty & solid, allows the circuit head to shift around, which keeps crimping the input wires. Short of sinking some really big screws into it, I can't figure how I'd stop this, and it sometimes takes a few minutes of jiggling to get the signal through. However, if I dropped the amp down a flight of stairs, I'm relatively certain it'd sound no worse -- this is an amp for the working musician. I have yet to find a more recent Crate which either sounds better or simply FEELS more reliable, much less both. General CommentsLet's see... I've been playing since 1973, pro 1978-1980 (with deep psychological scars to prove it), happy part-timer 1996 to date. I play anything that doesn't have reeds. If this amp was stolen, I'd hunt for another, and indeed have been, or at least a bass companion. The Crate CR-EV100 is powerful, rich, versatile, small, & inexpensive. Given a similar power & price, I would take this over any other brand, even vintage Fender or Gibson, or Gallien-Krueger. If it had a split effects-out with a stereo return (for sweep, stereo chorus, or clean/processed), it'd be my lifetime amp.
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Dated April 7 2000.}