Acoustic Amplifiers - Crate a good option?

[Oakman]

I am considering buying the

CRATE CA SERIES 30 WATT ACOUSTIC GUITAR COMBO WITH EFFECTS

amplifier. The main thing attracting me to this is it's price in the store. It is well below other brands. I have never dealt with this brand previously. Anyone tried this model or has any experience with Crate?

[Jeff G]

It seems to get pretty good reviews from a lot of players. I have a Crate VC3115 all tube amp for the electrics that I really like. I think sometimes Crate gets slammed a lot from people that haven't played Crate. I think at one time, way back they made some poor amps. I don't think any of the major makers can afford to do that anymore. Information is just too easy come by with the internet.

[opencee]

I wanted a small and inexpensive amp, so I shopped as many brands as I could find. I even tried many that were bigger and more money than I wanted to spend, just for reference.

I took MY guitar to stores and plugged into Fishman, Marshall, Fender, Crate, Roland, etc.. Some of the Fishmans and Fenders were very nice. I kinda liked the Roland, but Crate didn't work for me at all. That 30 watt version just didn't sound natural. I don't expect my opinion to be universal. Judge it with YOUR guitar and ears.

I bought the Ultrasound AG-30. Priced nice. Sounds great. It didn't make me compromise sound quality at a low price point. Suits my needs perfectly. I have no reason to move up.

opencee

[steamfurnace]

I picked up a used Fender Acoustasonic Jr. a couple months ago for less than half the price of a new one, and used it for my first outdoor patio/bar gig last night. It sounded great and was definitely loud enough for the crowd of 50 out there. My only complaint was some of the backing tracks I had recorded to cd sounded heavily processed with too much reverb and chorus from the amp, while my vocals and the guitar by itself were fine.

[Brian Hague]

Originally Posted by Jeff G

It seems to get pretty good reviews from a lot of players. I have a Crate VC3115 all tube amp for the electrics that I really like. I think sometimes Crate gets slammed a lot from people that haven't played Crate. I think at one time, way back they made some poor amps. I don't think any of the major makers can afford to do that anymore. Information is just too easy come by with the internet.

+1. I had a Crate Palomino that was very good for electric blues, but it lacked the versatility I was looking for and I went with a Vox Valvetronix, which is more of a Swiss Army knife amp. I hear good things about the Crate acoustic amps. Personally, I use a Roland AC-60, but I usually wind up playing through a PA.

[Antonio Salieri]

We received a Crate CA15 as part of a package deal when we bought Mo's Art's classical guitar. At first it sounded harsh, but I've since discovered that the further away from it I stand, the better it sounds. On the rare occassion that Mo needs an acoustic amp, she uses the Marshall AS50.

[Rutbag]

I had a Fender Acoustisonic 30 and recently went through all the amps I could find in my area looking for an improvement.

Hated the Crate. It sounded unpleasant. Ditto for the Behringer, plus they were unpleasantly huge. Didn't much like the Fenders; I already had one, and was not happy with it, so maybe this tainted my impression of more expensive models. The Marshalls were tolerable. I liked the SWR.

The Fishman Loudbox 100 was what I went with. I liked the other high end amps mentioned in this thread and one that wasn't (Acoustic Image Contra). They sounded GREAT, but the Fishman sounded GREAT also, and was significantly cheaper than anything that sounded equally as good to me.

It has really turned around my feeling about acoustic playing live. Can someone on this thread explain to me why I have so many fewer feedback issues with the Fishman amp (and the AER I bought and returned) than with the Fender? Is it related to the headroom and biamping with a more powerful amp (100 watts for the Fishman; 60 for the AER)?

I've been reading some about the new Fishman Solo amp, which is a kind of Bose sort of looking speaker on a stick. I'm not sure when it comes out.

I'm going to the Nashville NAMM show with some bandmates this weekend, so maybe I'll check out the Solo if it is there and give a report.

BTW - Has anyone used the Bose system? I'm curious, but haven't had a chance to play one. I'd like to check out one of those, too.

[MattM]

Originally Posted by opencee

I wanted a small and inexpensive amp, so I shopped as many brands as I could find. I even tried many that were bigger and more money than I wanted to spend, just for reference.

I took MY guitar to stores and plugged into Fishman, Marshall, Fender, Crate, Roland, etc.. Some of the Fishmans and Fenders were very nice. I kinda liked the Roland, but Crate didn't work for me at all. That 30 watt version just didn't sound natural. I don't expect my opinion to be universal. Judge it with YOUR guitar and ears.

I bought the Ultrasound AG-30. Priced nice. Sounds great. It didn't make me compromise sound quality at a low price point. Suits my needs perfectly. I have no reason to move up.

opencee

Ditto...hated Crate, love the AG-30! No modeling, effects or other junk, just natural acoustic tone. Picked mine up for $130 right here in the classifieds.

[Rutbag]

I found the 30 watt ultrasound tended to sound farty when I used a substantial amount of bass. I'm not sure if that is a speaker issue, cabinet design, or just the lower wattage when compared to the amp I eventually settled on.

[Seagull Lover]

Originally Posted by Rutbag

I found the 30 watt ultrasound tended to sound farty when I used a substantial amount of bass. I'm not sure if that is a speaker issue, cabinet design, or just the lower wattage when compared to the amp I eventually settled on.

Could be speaker size. the Ultrasound has an 8" speaker which makes for an ideal acoustic sound for some people but others like the stronger bass response that you can get with a 10" or 12" speaker. I think this is a matter of tonal preference but I still think the Ultrasound sounds the most like the guitar.

[Mel]

Could be speaker size. the Ultrasound has an 8" speaker which makes for an ideal acoustic sound for some people but others like the stronger bass response that you can get with a 10" or 12" speaker. I think this is a matter of tonal preference but I still think the Ultrasound sounds the most like the guitar.

If you want an accurate representation of your guitar IE "as my guitar sounds accoustically but lots louder", then chose an amplifier with 6" or 8" speakers.
If you want a powerful deep punchy bass go for one with a 12"or even a 15" speaker. Deep powerful bass needs a lot of air shifting to reproduce that gutsy punch. A bigger speaker can shift far more air than a small one can.

My Carvin AG100 has a 12" and it has masses of deep tight bass, which can easily be dialled out if I want a more accurate representation of the accoustic sound.
hth
Mel

[Tahitijack]

My first acoustic amp was a 15 watt Crate. I loved the price, but hated the sound and eventually sold it and got a SWR California Blonde, which I liked so much I later added its little sister the Strawberry Blonde. Love them both. If cost is an issue I would find the best used or new Ultrasound I could afford. They are small, light and deliver amazing tone and play loud enough for most places.

[GeetarMonkey]

I've got two AG-50s and I love them. I play at an outdoor market and these amps are plenty loud enough. I hook up two mics and two guitars... I run my mic through the effects for a tiny bit of reverb and play my guitar clean.

I also play a very noisy gig on an outdoor patio and they are plenty of volume for this venue. I love how light they are... good sound/simple set-up/quick & easy break down.