A CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED GUITAR AMPLIFIER!! Well, sort of... | CRATE GX130C

This guitar amplifier is insanely popular in death metal circles, some even considering it a top tier holy grail in terms of tone.. but what is it about this amp that has driven it to unreasonable prices in the last few years? And what's it's connection to Cannibal Corpse?
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0:00 Intro
1:58 Todays Sponsor
3:01 Song
4:08 Demo
19:16 Final Thoughts
#guitaramp #90smetal #deathmetal90

[@vorpalblades]

I've been playing the 120 watt combo version for 26 years through a late 80's Randall cab.Never given me problems. Traded a $15 bag of weed for it. Best deal on gear of my life. It's a filthy death metal weapon.

[@ctcards2636]

Were there seeds in that bag ? If so thats a REALLY good deal ! lol ;-)

[@vorpalblades]

@@ctcards2636 it was at least 25 years ago, so there definitely would have been seeds in the bag...

[@JN-qj9gf]

I reckon a whole heap of Crate amps have been traded for weed at some point.

[@Astral_Wave]

Nice 😎

[@danhguitardemos]

I got the matching head and 2x12 version and I can confirm, the thing’s pretty sick.

[@pauljsmith2113]

I worked there from '94 until the St Louis facility closed in '03. I can tell you that this, and every, Crate amp that came as a head and a combo were exactly the same, just mounted upside-down. Your combo is electronically identical to the head. Same goes for all of the Ampeg stuff (built in the same factory). As I recall, what killed the VH140C and the GX130C was the sudden lack of availability of the chip that drove that incredible built-in chorus. We couldn't find anyone else to make it at a reasonable cost, so they got dropped from the product lines. Shame, as both were really good amps.

[@denialoflife1413]

Whoa, glad to read stuff from a former employee. What was your recollection of the Stealth Series? The G130c Xl was the same as the Gx130c??

[@pauljsmith2113]

The Stealth Series were from the Lee Jackson era, which was before I was there. We were still building his Ampeg VL-502 and VL-1002 amps when I started, but only for a short while. As for the XLs, I don't know that there was any real difference. The specs are the same from the manuals, and the XL manual even has a graphic inside showing the 130C front panel. As far as I know, they're the same amp, only with different graphics on the chassis. There are other examples of that, too. All of the GX and MX series are the same, with the MX having a different name and different chassis graphics made specifically for Guitar Center. I think the MXs may have had different Tolex as well. Electronically, though, they are all the same. Most of the Audio Centron PA equipment was rebranded as Crate Pro Audio products for the South American market that recognized the Crate name but not AC. Same stuff, different name. There was some other intermingling, too. The Audio Centron RMA-1600, Crate SPA-1600, and Ampeg SVP-1600 were all the same amplifier, just with different graphics.

[@kawvika1984ify]

@@pauljsmith2113 I bought a combo amp of the gx130c for £25 of ebay. And I love it. A lot of ppl would say crate were not that great, but the gx130c was perhaps the only one that gave crate justice.

[@calebneff5777]

Okay, but what about the keys and stuff????

[@kawvika1984ify]

@@calebneff5777 keys ?

[@stanblackburn700]

I have a deep love for the old Crates of my youth circa 1986-1990s. Well done.

[@samboggs3499]

I had one back in the early 90's with a Marshall 4x12 and it was a beast master... I used a Boss Heavy metal stacked on a 7 band graphic equalizer as a boost and it had so much chug, it would make your average person lose control of their bowels and crap their pants.

[@TaylorDanley]

Sounds like your typical grind band 😂

[@samboggs3499]

@@TaylorDanley a honorable mention should be the Crate MXR65 1x12, made in USA. The exact same pre amp, but a single 65 watt power amp. I found it at a pawn shop for $45.00....

[@RobbyKing]

When I was in high school I stacked a Metal Zone with a GE-7 and I had legendary tone among my friends

[@bloodofthetyrant]

I just scored one for $99 at my local guitar shop. Knew exactly what it was as soon as I saw it. I had a VH-140c a few years back that I loved and regret selling to this day but super glad i found this

[@sauce_aux]

Budget and availability play huge roles in why a lot of this music gear becomes popular. You stated it exactly. Most of our favorite artists don't even remember what they were using on a specific tour and/or recording - Unless a company paid them enough to remember. Edit for spelling.

[@allstopblue5717]

Very well said. And very few of them had any endorsements in the early days of a bands life, so yeah, like you said they probably don’t remember what they used. Probably the producer had a slightly better amp than the band and they all used that. The bigger they got the better the gear got. Haha nowadays you can record yourself and sound phenomenal with a couple hundred dollar plugin. Crazy how things have changed.

[@theproblemwithkidsthesedays]

Totally bummed that an old friends dad stole my GX130C. Was my first amp and was given to me by a friend who has since passed away. Back then, I didn't have money for shit and I remember how blessed I felt to be gifted this monster

[@foofy14]

FINALLY, a death metal KZbinr! Subbed. Tone is mint af and that Guitar is ace btw

[@TaylorDanley]

💪💪 thanks dude!

[@joeywilson5998]

Taylor thanks for reviewing this old gear. It's a super fun and enlightening trip down memory lane for a middle aged metal kid such as myself. Props and keep up the great work!

[@TaylorDanley]

My pleasure, thanks dude!

[@Defleshuary]

No way this thing is worth $999 or even the $650 that's on Reverb now. I've been told CC used them intermittently during the first 4 albums and used a Boss MT-2 in the FX loop, again nothing factually backed up. I got mine, a GX-130C, for like $300. It now needs worked on, recapped due to age, etc, but it's DEFINITELY worth that much to me. Even by your song, that's the sound I LOVE. It's filthy in all the right ways. If you can get a good deal on one, go for it, but sweet baby jesus don't spend a grand on it!

[@TaylorDanley]

Totally agree with all this. And yes, I wonder too about Cannibal Corpse since it's so hard to find any interviews or anything where these are mentioned. Like I said in the video, if they did use them, it seems to me to be a "best bang for the buck" sort of deal... but I could be wrong!

[@TaylorDanley]

@cool guy from 2007 can you link that here for people? I only saw the valvestate clip…

[@visionop8]

Word

[@bultronlagore4932]

They used them on studio recordings and playing live. Especially Jack Owen. It wasn’t just on the first 4 albums either as Jack used Crate on Gallery of Suicide as well which is a spectacular album with great tone.

[@Electro_Timmy]

@@TaylorDanley kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioWqoGyhlNqJqqc I was at this show and even talked to Jack Owen about the GX130C model Crate amps.

[@TheMeJustMe75]

I had that series Crate back in the mid - late 90's. The cabinet got stolen but still had the head until a year ago when I sold it to Guitar Center. A few days later, they had sold it. I asked someone about it and they said people went crazy over it.

[@playthefightriffjohn843]

As someone who uses a Mesa oversized cab religiously, I think it sounded better with the matching cab

[@low_e_music]

Awesome review! Your song at the beginning is slamming too! I love my GX130C, definitely going to be a permanent fixture in my collection.

[@TaylorDanley]

BRO, I watched all your videos when I was hunting for them!

[@low_e_music]

@@TaylorDanley Haha, wow, thanks! You inspired me to put up a new one today.

[@dobbs123456789]

I used to have this amp. Loved it. Was my first “real amp.” I was devastated when the transformer blew out and it costed more to repair it than buy a cheap 5 watt tube amp. Wish I had repaired it. God bless to whoever still has theirs. Have a good day.

[@ctcards2636]

Yeah when the parts cost more than the amp... ya gotta think twice. This has happened to me with a few amps. Now a days im always collecting spare parts for all my amps so i have backup parts already. I spend so much time with my amps that it becomes a part of my "sound" and im too old to keep starting a new one over and over with a new amp. I like the ones I have and im glad i can keep them all rocking for cheap or free.

[@SuperGuitar38]

My friend had this G130C XL. I believe it was the Crate sleeper that sounded like a Marshall in alot of ways. I set it up w/ a dual EQ and got a perfect Overkill tone as I seen one on thier stage in 89'. He played alot of Yngwie and it sounded close too. They implemented flexwave in the poweramp sections about this time and gave it a warmer tuby feel. I found a combo of this and didn't feel the same.

[@TheEldenwhite]

I had the 2x12 combo version of this. I basically used it as a power amp/extension cab running out of a marshall valvestate combo. For a teenager playing death metal in 1998 the tone was incredible.

[@Imetalman2000]

I feel like the aged components on these amps really give it a warmer sound then when the amps were new. 90’s amps are now considered vintage gear 🥲.

[@nurk_barry]

When me and my buddies started playing music together, my singer/guitarist had a 60 Watt Ibanez amp that looked and sounded just like a Crate, and later on, we had a crate 4x12 with a crate 100 watt head. It did the job, and back then I think we were just stoked to have an amp with decent wattage that we could play and hear with the drums. I myself started on a peavey rage 128 (I think) and I loved that amp, it was definitely high quality for a combo practice amp. I’ll always cherish those memories of that early gear, definitely nostalgic, and these days I do still have one relic from those days, a re-tolex-d Marshall mg100hdfx that actually sounds great through a nice cab. One piece of gear that I wish we would have kept is a Marshall MOSFET 50 or 100, it was an early solid state amp by Marshall, it was so cool. I don’t know a ton about Crate amps, except that they were ubiquitous in the late 90s, early 00s, and they were a go-to for budding guitarists and bassists on a budget.

[@rockindavebyron3960]

I still have my Crate GT1200H 120watt half stack with Celestion 75 speakers from 2005, still in new condition, but I did have a 2×12 version of that amp back in 2001 you're demoing, plus, way back in 1988, I had a 60watt 1×12 Celestion 75 loaded combo, they all sounded Great(Crate, LOL) for the money, but, my 1st really good amp I have was the Crate 1R ,way back in 1978/79, I was a sophomore/junior in high school! That's when Crate amps were shaped like a crate box! Great video my friend, you ROCK!!!

[@BrandonKJohnson]

I love the nostalgia of crate amps! I had a few different Crates growing up, wish I would've kept a couple of them, glad to be rid of others lol I recently got a GT1200 head 👍 Also a few months ago i got an FXT65 combo. Also I have a crate V series 2x12 cab that I use pretty regularly. It's built pretty well, all plywood. I loaded it with Celestion V-Types.

[@kellrazor4369]

I love seeing the studio secret(s) reveals… so many cork sniffers claiming expensive gear is what you need to get to where you want. Ampeg and Crate were basically the same company and at the heart of the American death metal scene along with Peavey. Swedish death metal were Peavey bandits and Boss pedals… not what we saw generally on tours, but what we celebrated and were the sound of the recordings, and as a guy who has had a studio for a couple of decades - it’s just great to see and hear that cheap gear still rules… although once the secret get out, everyone thinks it applies across the product lines - and it’s not always true. But it is true that everything can be fixed in post production. No ow that all being said- nothing beats big wattage tube amps and a lot of the newer preamp gear and power amp gear is pretty pricey and high quality. Good stuff here - your playing is fantastic and you’ve got a great way of explaining things and making concise observations.

[@sob7741]

The cabinet & pickups help so much… That tone takes me way back to my time mixing death metal at Smilers

[@regortex3364]

I have the earlier G120C, a surprisingly good sound amp. Channel switching, stereo, lead channel, Accutronics Reverb tank, footswitchable. I have had to replace the gain pot, other than that, very reliable. I will say that when you pull this apart and look at the circuit board and build, it’s better than most modern amps. The pots are the only thing I’d call “cheap”. I chopped mine to make it fit on a 4x12 better, removed the carpet,painted it black, it looks cool, sounds cool, I like it.

[@jedhood6986]

Holy crap. I had a G130C half stack for a while. Bought it used at Guitar Center for like $350. That thing was loud and sounded fantastic! Traded it for a huge Peavey bass stack. Which I needed more since I’m more of a bassist. Miss it because I did love it.

[@deathtrapperformanceminibi260]

I currently own a vh140c and in the past owned the crate gx130c and the best mod I ever did for both of them was to use a bbe as it really cleans up the muddy sound of both of these amps

[@SloppyJoes_ShredShack]

Dude, you have my favorite metal channel on YT. Love these videos!!!

[@TaylorDanley]

Wow, thanks! I'm glad you enjoy it! 💪

[@michaelgallegos8811]

I still have my GX160 Crate 1x12 bought in 1992,it's a very loud Amp this combo has a shape knob,and tank reverb,a effects loop in the front of the Amp I used for many years its actually in mint condition it still sound good good for practice I have tube heads now,with one of my 4x12 cabs it actually sounds pretty good

[@metalfather8139]

You did make this one sound great in the intro man wow.

[@Crispy_Music_2024]

Crate made the best value and most fun practice amps for playing with distortion in the late 90's.

[@worldsheaviestjamband93]

This was my first amp head around 1999. The one thing I remember was it being VERY underpowered. I got my 5150 and was confused on how I wasn’t getting drowned out by the drummer anymore. Great video.

[@needsLITHIUM]

It's my understanding that depending on which guitarist you're talking about, they used Valvestate and Engl amps, usually layered with some sort of Mesa/Boogie Rectifier or Mark amp, one guitarist using the metalzone as a boost, the other using a tube screamer, and then one or both guitars are dubbed over it with the metalzone direct into the FX return, regardless there is a setup for quad tracking going on. Thanks for the demo so we can hear what's going on and why amps like these were used.

[@lydiagraham2188]

sounded great!!!! thanks for the review!

[@davohsaurus]

Crate FXT120 (something like that, solid state half stack with fx) and a crate bass are the best I’ve ever used in my life. They felt cheap, but they also felt great with a proper set up on the bass and the right settings on the amp. You could do whatever you wanted without fear of the price tag

[@Job.Well.Done_01]

Dude, the gnar on your shreddz is choice! Love your work, my friend!

[@TaylorDanley]

Thanks! 💪

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

That mid control being designed like that reminds me of the Pro Co Rat: in that the MK1 Rat kept getting returned for being too tinny so they reversed the sweep of the tone control. Kind of makes me wonder if it was to 'idiot proof' it against people who believed that scooping the midrange was the way to get a metal tone without knowing how to make that work.

[@micahj9828]

Yep. Crate called it Focus or Shape. It was a reverse potentiometer that actually cut mids as you turned it up.

[@TheAxe4Ever]

I’ve owned a few Crates when I started out. All gain….NO PUNCH. But one of my favorite Crate amps I ever had was a Crate Blue VooDoo 120 head with matching 4x12 cab that had V30’s in it. Loved that amp. Still wish I had it for if not for anything, the nostalgia.

[@The-Atomic-Woodsman]

Yo, Taylor. I to this day still have my Crate GX1200 full stack. So I had gotten this back in 1997 and paid $800. I used it for live shows back in the day. I then got my Gt3500H Shockwave head off eBay back in around 2004-2005? for $450. I also still have that too. This was my budget head since back then I could not afford the Blue Voodoo. Did a lot of shows back in the day (15+ years ago) with my metal band for 5 years with the full stack cabs and the 3500 head. We also did a 4 song demo back then and I used my 3500 head and slant cab to do those recordings. I now have finally gotten my holly grail rig! Mesa triple rec and slant cab. Yessssssss!!!!!

[@angusorvid8840]

My drummer owns a GX130C he bought ages ago. We use it for band rehearsal, and MAN is it loud! Gets a ton of gain, decent clean channel too. I've always been a fan of Crates but have never owned one. I used to borrow a Crate combo from a friend back in my club days in the 80s on the Sunset Strip. It sounded great. I would call Crates the kind of amps snobs love to hate. They really delivered the goods. You've gotta remember if you were playing in club bands and didn't have much money your choices for high gain amps in the 80s were limited. Boogies and Soldanos were just out of the question, but you could get a Crate, Randall, or if you wanted to spend more money, a Laney or a Marshall. I owned a Marshall stack back in the day and got tired of lugging it around. It was like moving a grand piano. I then switched to using combos, either borrowing my friend's Crate, another friend's modded JCM combo, or the Randall RG 75 combo I bought. I also eventually got a Boogie, but to be honest, I didn't enjoy it like I did the Randall and the Crate I borrowed. There are myriad reasons why solid-state amps got a bad rep and tube amps are overpraised. A lot of it has to do with musicians talking through their ass, having no idea what they are talking about. When I played the Crate or Randall I cut through the mix like a chainsaw. I even used some Peaveys. It's all about how you mic it up and if the soundman knows what he's doing. Luckily, I had a good rapport with the soundmen in those days. I learned the hard way after pissing off the soundman at one club because I turned up the volume at a show right before my guitar solo. He gave me a piece of his mind after that, and I didn't play that club again for a year; and by then they had a new soundman. One of the best sounding players I ever heard was this dude rocking a BC Rich Gunslinger through a Crate half-stack, like the one my drummer owns, around 1988 at the now defunct Coconut Teaszer. He had a few effects, like an EQ pedal, a Boss overdrive he only used to contour the gain, and a Phase 90. When the other bands went up they had Boogies or walls of Marshalls and sounded like crap.

[@dr.rickmarshall6697]

But honestly if you get a good guitar player somebody that’s really good I could name many of them but I won’t , they could play any cheap guitar and cheap amplifier and make it sound good there’s no doubt about that.

[@luigizanellato2959]

Sounds good to me with the metal playing! Nice riffs to man! 🎸🤘

[@Loki_FPV666]

I used to have that same half stack back in the 90's. The thing I like about solid state heads is they are easier to haul around since they weigh less than a tube amp.

[@TheSpineSplitter1990]

This is why I loved my Ampeg SS70 combo, I think you really needed to push the volume up full to get it to open up. Very weird for a ss amp. The power amp section is really something too, I would run my Ax8 and the tones were so good.

[@KPGuitarStudios]

Just the BV120H and BV60H but the tones did sound great on the vid! Literally instant 90's Death Metal, gotta love it

[@TaylorDanley]

Plug and play Florida Death Metal! 🤘

[@Leftlanedave]

I seen them at 94 with Barnes singing they were definitely rocking Crate full stacks as far as boost pedals I don’t know that really wasn’t a thing back then to try to peep what kind of pedals they used. I seen them again in 95 with corpse grinder and it was the same crate cabinets with dual rectifier heads on top

[@cta.k.a.barrychan2460]

To my ears, the @11:27 minute mark sounds a litttle like the tone Code Orange went for on their album, Underneath. Specifically the near end of "You and You Alone." Love that.

[@lowtonezf104]

Brutally excited to see this!!

[@NatePeriat]

I recorded an album , back in the late 2000's with one of these.. Definitely sleeper amps.. funny I didnt realize the 90's Death Metal scene embraced them.. I can see why! Cool video! New Sub here. Keep up the good work!

[@TaylorDanley]

Welcome! 💪

[@jamesblair2000]

You do realize that the late 2000's is is still another 975 years away? By late 2000's you do mean the early 2000's but before 2010?

[@defrauder_band]

@@jamesblair2000 shot

[@NatePeriat]

@@jamesblair2000 haha.. yeah.. for lack of a quick easy way to say sometime between 2007 and 2010.. yes.. you are correct!

[@brandonvon3774]

In the late 90s/early 00s I had a CD of The Bleeding, and I'm almost certain that the band thanked Crate in the liner notes. I can't find a pdf of the liner notes online, though. And I know the artwork has changed on The Bleeding, and I don't know if the liner notes have changed as well. You, or someone else, would have to find a CD with the original art and notes, from the 90s/00s to confirm.

[@iamgribs]

I have the liner notes also. Saw it too.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

I got my Crate for $30 from a pawn shop. I noticed it had an 'insert' jack that functioned as an effects loop, one side could be isolated as an out and used in front of my AVT. I liked it way more than any of the models on my POD. I had heard of Crates being used in NYDM and being similar to the Ampeg amps Scott Hull fanboyed over. Years later I got a VH-in-a-box pedal and noticed they didn't quite sound the same. I did a bit more research off and on and gained some insight (maybe, I hope) but got lost in the clustershag of other Crate and Ampeg solid state amps. Still love my GX15, although now it's cut down to be a lunchbox amp and I only ever use it through a cab sim.

[@TheUniversalEyes]

I had one several years ago and it worked beautifully with pedals and effects units, on the clean channel of course. It had some problems though, it would cut out from time to time, I ended up taking it apart, cleaning all the connectors and reflowed solder joints, I also replaced some of the big ceramic power resistors, after that it seemed to help, although I could never get chorus and reverb to work, but it wasn't a big deal. I paid $80 for it and sold it for like $100.

[@ElMamuco]

The last head that you played is exactly like mine. Bought it for $60 and has been my gig/band practice amp for the last 2 years👍

[@smallfaucet]

Enjoyed your shredd section \m/

[@gunslinger80sguitars]

Still have 2 g130cxl heads and love them. I like them due to the Stereo sound. Having a eq pedal through the effects loop does wonders 🤘🏻👍🤘🏻

[@lowtriggerweightjay7331]

Crate was my first amp ever! Strait from Cheap Johns Music and Pawn😄. 10 years old and trying to learn one Poison, G&R, AC/DC,or Metallica riff in hopes it would land me a kiss from the girl in the apartment next door! Man I miss the 80’s lol. Moved on since then to bigger and better amps but there are times I like to mimic and remenise that raw, crackly, distorted sound from my Cruise electric and Crate amp.

[@chrisfinster1346]

When the TS was added it was mint. Really brings back memories of early se portland days. thanks

[@TaylorDanley]

OH YEAH BROTHER!

[@antonharmacinski276]

The Crate G10 was my first Amp and then I moved up to, I want to say the 30 or 50. (LOL 11:50 That one.) It was the combo with 2x 8" speakers it it. Loved them amps. I also had the Crate Mini Stack and that amp never failed to impress people. When an amp being pushed by a Digitech RP50 is impressing people, I think that says something about the amp. (I could probably get that mini stack back. I know where I left it and I ran into the guy the other day and I'm under the impression he still has it. And while not the same one, I got a DT RP50 in the garage I ran across last week. It was working when I stored it, or else it wouldn't have been stored.) My next and last guitar amp purchase (I bought a bass and a fender rumble 25 earlier this year) was the Marshall MG100HDFX/MG412A Slant Purple Half Stack. I got a couple cheap crap-o amps from various starter kits I've picked up at garage and rummage sales and use those basically just near the bench as something to confirm pickups are working, so I really don't count those. I also have a small Marshal 1x 8" combo that I'm actually running some Simmons digital drums through. (What can I say, I like gear and instruments.) Since I mainly just play my guitars through my half stack, I didn't really realize how much gear I have until I just rattled it off right now. I play the other instruments from time to time, but I mostly have them for my friends to play if we feel like jamming. We played Rock Band together all the time but we all had actual music experience so I started buying gear hear and there and now I get to jam with my musically inclined friends when they come over. I do confess to enjoy exploring other instruments though. I just don't do it as much as I probably should, but can you really play guitar too much? Even the virtuosos are still exploring the instrument, so it's not like you're ever really "done" learning guitar. Even if you don't consider it "learning," practicing or playing in general is still sharpening the skills. That's just my philosophy towards the guitar at least. The first time I play every day, I always try to play something, new or different. I don't go to the well, I start off exploring. Then I slide back into the familiar. What's the first thing you do, the first time you play for the day? Do you have a "warm up" routine or anything?

[@brianjohnson1671]

too cool! i bought one in minty condition back in 2016 for $80. i love the sound, but rarely use it. this video makes me determined to go into the iso booth, dust it off, and maybe track something with it. cheers!

[@barryprosser1370]

These all rule man! \m/ Great work as always.

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

We pretty much make most of our judgements from recording where of both pedals and the engineer on the sesion changed what we heard to something much different than what we would hear in a club 30 ' from the amp.Those sounds I can get with my 50 watt Plexi and the best take on a pedal trying to clone the amps sound. Recently I got a very good Source Audio EQ and up my game to near perfect. I have the classic Peavey, Mesa, Soldano and ENG pretty much nailed.

[@TheGuitologist]

I had a Crate G120CXL half stack in my high school progressive metal band and yes, you could do all that death metal stuff from the era.

[@TaylorDanley]

I don't notice a huge difference in tone from the XL to the GX series.. but I would imagine you might have a better insight into the actual differences? Thanks for sharing your experience, nice to see you here!

[@TheGuitologist]

I think I have a GX in my garage in pieces. Forget what it is. My experience with these SS Crate is limited to 25+ years ago, really. I moved to Carvin and Marshall tube heads after my Crate. If I run across one at a pawn shop, I might give it another chance for giggles! Thanks for the fun video. I do know that solid state amps from this era were often geared toward metal, and as you confirmed here, they are the key to a lot of those early 90s death metal tones. Even Dime figured out the magic of solid state amps for metal before he endorsed those cheap, cheesy early 2000s tube amps. His Randall days is the classic Pantera sound. Check out the G120CXL head sometime. I think you'll find it's a cheaper way to these same kinds of tones. Probably fewer people talking about them online.

[@MTavhazova]

Absolutely great vid)

[@vincehowell6442]

Love my gt212 Crate. 20 years of flawless beautiful shredding

[@jww732]

Absolutely beyond hyped on the recent solid state love!!!!!

[@techdeathhippie6319]

I love all the heads in that room . I love 100 watt heads . Buying selling trading heads is a big part of my life . These Crates were cool . The prices are not good now but they are killer still . Cool video

I love these crate stuff!! I bought exactly the same one on the weekend (G130C XL), a real rarity in Germany. Do you also have a video of the old Crate amp with the red lettering that is under the 5150?

[@depthsofdarknessofficial9677]

Love that your room is so full of amp heads. It's dope af

[@TaylorDanley]

Thanks dude. I love it too, but I need to make room for others here soon! I always joke that I'm going to die in an amp avalanche lol.

[@depthsofdarknessofficial9677]

@@TaylorDanley I'll bring my beast, my moser and some of my amps and I'll come die with you on that avalanche lmfao like viking warriors bro!!! \m/

[@reno145]

I got a private tour of the Crate factory in St. Louis back in ‘92. The shop I worked in was a dealer. Not a real fan of their stuff back then, but I got a ton of free shirts and hats.

[@garyshelly6555]

Cool video, I will definitely be sharing it to my FB crate group

[@TaylorDanley]

🤘🤘

[@jandrem]

My first “real” amp head was one of those Crates. I remember really loving it when I was a teen in the 90’s.

[@Admiral_Bongo]

Vile most likely. They've got em in the background in the Devoured By Vermin music video several times, many pics of Rob from 96-97 show him wearing Crate T shirts, so probably an endorsement was happening, and Vile sounds like it was Crate boosted with a Metal Zone. By the way, great tone you've dialed in.

[@TaylorDanley]

Thanks dude! Yeah the clip I pulled was from 96

[@_-Unity-_]

I really enjoy your content. Thanks.

[@7DavesToDie]

I have pictures of me in my teens standing in front of my crate half stack while opening up for cannibal in the 90’s. Everything you said was pretty spot on

[@anthonyprevite6805]

Which did you have? I just got a gx600 for $40 big upgrade from the little shit amp I was using lol just waiting to get some cables but I’m so excited

[@beefnacos6258]

​@@anthonyprevite6805 do you like it?

[@HANGINGCORPSE]

Still got my Blue Voodoo half stack (the black version not the purple and gold). The see-through mesh and the glowing tubes in the head sold me on it. It's never been to a repair shop.

[@AngryTruckerBob]

That's an awesome amount when it can make even your playing sound good!

[@denialoflife1413]

Dude you forgot to activate the lush chorus button! Lol. Great content as always, giving some light to these amps. During the bleeding they used both of those amps in the vid that Jack Owen uploaded. But anywho, I own 3 of these just like yours. I completely agree that these amps have issues. All three that I’ve bought on OfferUp/fb market place have had the channel switching and volume drops. Most of the time it’s because of the sensitive effects loop and copious amounts of dust and oxidation. I would not pay more than $300 for them. I’m laughing right now cause these and BC rich bronze series guitars are going up in value for stupid amounts. But yeah this does what it does and it does it well. I’ll be honest the only drawback besides reliability is that it doesn’t cut that well in a mix. It needs a boost for sure. Find yourself a crate stealth dude. The crate amps are either really cheap or really expensive. Waiting to be saved from storage units lol. 🤘🏼

[@zombiemosher1139]

Sounds like The Bleeding tone to me, especially on the scooped setting. Where its open to discussion if they used Crate on the album they definitely used it on the tour & the following album Vile, Crate is even listed in the cd fold out. Great video

[@ronnielobosmith4870]

Just got a G20CXL for my birthday it sounds amazing

[@thejimmichanga2913]

My first gigging amp was a Crate gt212 combo back in 06 and I remember loving it. Left it at my old bands practice space, band broke up because the drummer got a scholarship for tennis and never saw it again.

[@stevenpipes1555]

I had a Crate combo with 2 12' Celestians when i was a kid. Wish i could have that back now.

[@Banditman]

The clean channel on the GX130C with a decent compressor in front of it can get you really, really close to that Mindcrime era Queensryche clean. I still have mine.

[@antonkovalenko364]

I would love to have another of them. I was a Crate Artist (not an endorsement, unfortunately) right when they first came out, which is a glorified way to say that they said "Hey, this guy uses our shit!" And sent me tshirts and decals. 😆😆

[@thephoenixcycle8854]

What band were you in?

[@felinekaiju4517]

I have a crate TD-70, Solid state class D power amp with a single 12AX-7 power tube in the pre amp. I switched the speaker to an Eminence Hemp-Dog and it fucking slays!!. Back in the late 90's Maty friedman got me into Crate with the Blue Voodoo. But I'm currently playing a Peavey Invective 120 as my main amp now.

[@daevasmodeus]

You should do a review on the Boss GX-700 or Roland GP-100 (specifically the analog metal circuits). While Bolt Thrower and Mick Thompson used the GX-700, I think it’s a good example of solid state gear that sounds great regardless of who used it. I was pretty blown away and it definitely offers something unique I can’t get in my Axe FX, particularly the gain interaction with the parametric EQ. They are still cheap because not many know about them and there aren’t any in depth reviews on them anywhere.

[@SuperMetalLicious]

I still have my gx700 beautiful cleans and can be super heavy. For distortion I ran it in front of a tiny 10in old peavy amp and ran a speaker wire off the speaker terminal to a 8in subwoofer. Super killer tone. Perfect for mic up. Let friend borrow subwoofer and lost touch and ended getting rid of peavy cause it sounded like ass with out sub. I wish I had that combo back!

[@Shanesworth1]

I had one back in the early 2000’s. Wish I still had it. Thing is a beast.

[@masterchain3335]

I actually kinda love that sick high-gain clean-channel. Almost has a weird single-coil sound to it. A lot of personality.

[@NitroModelsAndComics]

Back in the very early 90s a local band called Skullgarden used Crate GX combos for their pretty epic sound. This brings back memories.

[@topfloorstudio2684]

Back in the 90s both me & the other guitarist in the band had Crate GX65 combos. You needed to turn the volume up full blast, push the "Shape" button in and run the gain maxed out to even be heard over the drums and at that point the single 12" SLM Electronics speaker sounded like a Yeti farting.

[@chriszuccaro7600]

I had one of these in the 90s it lasted me a good 7 years or so I loved it

[@nebularvoid4669]

Holy shit, I bought mine for only $100 a few years ago, these prices now are bonkers! Phonomenal video, dude.

[@xanderbridge8683]

found one locally for 150, gotta cop right now

[@MonteTristoGuitarRips]

I got a Blue Voodoo 60 that i run into a Jackson J412 cab. its my birth year rig from 92 and it absolutely crushes

[@wagzzzz]

When I was 17 I walked into my house with a full Crate stack back in the late 80’s. My father just shook his head. Didn’t have it for long maybe a year before I sold it. Now, if I could have that 1980 vibro champ back… just recently saw one for sale and never realized they were all tube.

[@nicolasbeaudry6158]

I remember drooling over one when I was 15 man I will try to catch one if I see one great playing dude sounds pretty decent too me. It would be a good amp to blend with a good tube amp in a mix 🤘🏻🤘🏻🖤

[@TaylorDanley]

Thanks dude!

[@andyje]

Crate amps were an easy find back in the day, I think I owned three at some point. They were accessible and inexpensive. I miss those days.

[@blakedunn4095]

My first half stack was the blue voodoo. Which worked out great for me at the time I was covering a lot of sloppy macabre and deicide. Fully cranked it could cut through the bass and drums as crude as it sounded, it crushed and I miss it

[@michaelgallegos8811]

Nice seeing this video actually this GX160 is very hard to find I have looked shit I paid 400.00 bran new !and I bought a rg565 Ibanez a 1991 new off the rack the same day this guitar is in mint condition too.Glad I kept both of these.

[@OfficialSNMvids]

I purchased one of these about 2 years ago and it can get that Cannibal Corpse The Bleeding tone!!!! I've seen them quite a few times in the 90's and have seen them with these stacks and assumed they used them in the studio as well.

[@ezcondition]

gx130c with the half stack sounds spot on!

[@evilrobotchris]

“Crate” was a model of amp distributed by St. Louis Music (later SLM) that was built into an actual wooden Crate. From there SLM started Crate as their in-house amp brand and started mass producing models made in America with Celestion speakers. Around the same time they bought Ampeg, which is where the comparisons of rich man’s poor man’s come in. By and large they were similar but separate brands until Crate production moved overseas in the mid 90s, and at that point a lot of the circuitry was an overseas version of Ampeg stuff, sometimes simplified. More and more parts became plastic, and that leads to the era where Crate gets most of their reputation. Janick Gers from Iron Maiden used them on the Fear of the Dark tour, Billy Gibbons would eventually be an endorser of the club series (super underrated), and of course there’s Sammy Hagar and the Voodoo series. Perhaps only Peavey has a greater rise to and fall from prominence in the history of gear.

[@deadshot4245]

i used to have a g-600 bought the head for 75 buck because the distortion channel was out but all i needed was a power amp clean for multi effects pedals. lasted nearly ten years without needing work.

[@zibasin]

Note all the Crate are the same. What the GX130, the G130XL, the Ampeg VH140 and a few others (IIRC G80XL, G160XL, TD70, etc.) have in common in their distortion is 2 stages of feedback clipping with zener diodes as limiters and an active EQ (the TD70 have one stage of zener diodes + a tube stage and active EQ). The early ones like the G60 have hard clipping diodes, the cheapo GX15 from your younger days lacks the active EQ (like my GX40C that I nevertheless cherish), etc. Don't underestimate the power of an active EQ. Ex : 2 SS amps share the same distortion typology, the Sunn Beta and the Laney Linebacker PL100, CMOS inverters as gain stages. The Sunn has an active EQ and sounds massive, the Laney has a passive Marshall like EQ and can sound quite shrill sometimes.

[@theariesexperiment4642]

In 1998 I joined a Death Metal band that was signed to Dwell Records. An indie label owned by Metal Blade. I immediately went and bought a GX-130C full stack. My cabs didn't have celestions unfortunately, but I was still tickled with it. I ran it with a Metal Zone,....as one does. Now concerning your question of whether CC used them??? I saw them at the Masquerade in Atlanta in 1997 with Cynic and Sinister. Rob was using an Engl Knucklehead and Jack was using a Marshall JCM800. Incredible show by the way. The GX-130C is definitely an underrated amp for Metal. We played 43 dates and I never had one problem with it. It did its job.

[@TaylorDanley]

How did you run the metal zone? Loop or as a boost? You know the thing about seeing bands live and the gear they are using is you never know (unless you get the opportunity to ask them) if it's a shared backline. Like there's a good chance, especially at festivals or shows in other countries, the gear they are using on stage is not actually owned by the band.

[@theariesexperiment4642]

@@TaylorDanley I barely turn the gain up on the MZ and just used the EQ on it with the red channel. Took some tweaking,...but everyone was floored by the crushing tone I was getting out of it. I wished I had tried the loop,...but i was very young and didn't know a ton about gear yet. The only problem I ever had with that amp, was a tiny dive bar we played that had no PA,....you know,...paying those dues and all.lol. But it just didn't cut through the mix live and sounded thin as tissue paper. Through a PA though??? Unreal. But yes your correct about bands backlining. I did however,...get to meet and talk to Rob Barrett when he was sitting in with Malevolent Creation in 2001. They played a show at a biker bar call The Long Branch next to the University of Tennessee campus. I know. Weird. He was actually a Mesa artist at that time and also Blackhart guitars. He was running 2 full stack Dual Recti's with a red Maxon of some sort. It sounded absolutely retarded. His tone at that show was jawdropping to say the least. He was an extremely cool guy though. He said that touring was getting to him and he was burnt out. I asked him if he was gonna do an album with MC and he said "no,...there just using me for a few shows." He even bought me a beer. Definitely a bucket list moment. Lol.

[@Bigfatriffmaker]

I own and still use a Crate 120w 2x12 combo To Jam, for everything. IT still sounds Killer for a pedal platform with Tons of Bass. Made In '04 or '05. Its alot taller than that combo with Offset speakers one higher one lower. Actually the pawn shop across the street has one, A Crate Head and 4x12 Crate cab, I want It but I think he wants $1000