Crate CPB150 PowerBlock?

[M29]

Hello All,

I was eyeing up one of the Crate CPB150 PowerBlocks for $99.00 and wondered what you guys thought of theses amps?
What I am looking for is a lightweight amp like this that I can go jam (fairly loud) with friends. My Vox ad50vt may not be up to the task and I thought one of these might do the trick.
I have a bad back from a bunch of surgeries and this looks like it might do well for me. I am not all that concerned about the sound, I am not real fussy at this stage in my life and I am very happy with the sound of my Vox, but I have heard reliabilty issues with these, could you give me some input on this amp? Are they trying to dump these? Are they going to be discontinued...etc.

Thank you for your time and help.

M29

[Tone2TheBone]

I've heard they make a great backup amp AND also a bass amp. I heard some sound files off of it the other day and it didn't sound too bad. Might be cool to pick one up.

[M29]

Thanks Tone, ya can't beat the price.

M29

[Tone2TheBone]

You're welcome. I agree. If you get one let me know how you like it.

[Tone2TheBone]

Hey M29, I tried one out at Guitar Center during lunch today. They sound pretty good through a 4x12 cab. Solid tone. Its a Stereo unit too I didn't know. They also had them for $99 (they are affiliated with Musiciansfriend I guess?).

[Spudman***]

I just got mine today and will hook it up an play it shortly here. I may be gone for the weekend but I'll try to leave something before I split.

[Spudman***]

OK. Just playing it for a while now...

Ibanez SA220 > Power Block > Lopoline 1x12 closed back cabinet with Celestion 30 watt speaker.

Tone controls are very responsive. They work well so no problems dialing in great sound. The bass really adds a lot of bass. This would work great for jazz stuff.

Clean head room. Not a lot. This is what most other reviewers have said too. Without being clean this amp gets pretty loud!

Touch response. Very comfortable. No struggles and guitar cleans up nicely when it's volume is rolled off. It's not class A but it still sounds pretty good.

Grit, growl and whoop ***. Plenty of it. It's got a real good classic overdrive grind sound going on. Scooping the mids works well yet retains some Marshall like crunch.

For the price of a good stomp box I now have my first solid state amp. Great back up amp, around the house amp. It's quiet too. I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it but I'd want at least a 2x12 cabinet. It's stereo and runs cool to the touch too.

I almost forgot...no tube rattle.

[Spudman***]

I went to Guitar Center this weekend in another state and they had the Power Block hooked up to a Crate 4x12 cabinet. All I have to say is "OH MY GOSH!" What a difference. It was scary good. Sounds like a loud gritty classic amph. Plenty of volume and it was only run in mono. You would need a pedal of some sort for metal. But this thing sounded HUGE.

For $100 it's a way better value than the Valve Jr. because you can actually use it to gig with and the sound is very consistent and pleasant. No reverb though, but then the Jr. doesn't have it either.

I've been enjoying mine (pretty much the only amph I've played since I got it) through a 1x12 cabinet. The bigger 4x12 makes this a serious machine for sure. I have a 2x12 coming soon so I'll know if that extra cabinet size and extra speaker makes a difference.

[6STRINGS 9LIVES]

Played one today , through a 4-12 marshall cab ...big sound , not bad at all and trmendous for the money ...anyone try one through a 15" ..

[Plank_Spanker]

Does it have an FX loop?

[Spudman***]

CPB150 Crate PowerBlock™

[Plank_Spanker]

Might have to score one of those...........

[Spudman***]

A back up amp that you can stash under your car seat. How cool is that! Or...an amp your girlfriend can carry.

[Plank_Spanker]

A back up amp that you can stash under your car seat. How cool is that! Or...an amp your girlfriend can carry.

My thoughts, exactly..............

[Robert****]

So you think it's better value than the Epi Valve Jr?

[Spudman***]

So you think it's better value than the Epi Valve Jr?

From a functional point of view, most definitely yes.

As with both amphs you need a speaker cabinet, so in both cases you would have your hands full...except the PB comes stock with a shoulder strap carry case. I can't see taking the Jr. to a gig or jam and expecting it to function at those levels either. The PB has power to spare for that.

[Nelskie]

For $100 it's a way better value than the Valve Jr. because you can actually use it to gig with and the sound is very consistent and pleasant.

I thought I might chime in on this . . .

First off, the Power Block is a really cool piece of gear, with power to burn. I played one at my buddy's shop when they first came out, and was pretty impressed. Good tone, albeit not all-tube tone, and very flexible as far as usage situations are concerned. Loud as all get-out, too.

On the other side of the fence, the Valve Jr. head is a great piece of gear as well. It may not offer the stand-alone volume parameters of the PB, but don't think for a second that this little rig doesn't get loud. It does. If you read the Valve Jr. head reviews at Harmony Central, there are a ton of guys running these things with 2x12 and 4x12 cabs with sparkling results. From a gigging standpoint, it might be a challenge getting the Jr. above the drums / mix - - but nothing that a Shure SM-57 and a good soundman couldn't have under control in a handful of minutes. Again - it all depends on the gig, the volume of the mix, and of course, whether or not you'd want to push this little rig at max volume for two plus hours. Personally, I haven't done it, so I can't comment on it. Would I be afraid to? Hell no!

The Power Block also has the edge in the overdrive dept. - which would be a plus for players who prefer hard rock / metal musical styles - let's say, for example, Queensryche. On the other side of the coin, the Valve Jr., as most already know, is all about vintage, old school tone. Overdrive is achieved the old-fashioned way - i.e. saturating the power tube, which yields that magically delicious tone that guitar players everywhere love and covet. Lining up your favorite distortion pedal in front of it (all Epi Valve series amps seem to love pedals!) will also help drive the tubes, which in turn, will allow you to get that creamy tube OD at a lower volume levels. One way or another, you'll find a way to get there, and when you do - - you'll be "amp"-ly rewarded.

Other than gig-able volume, the Jr.'s shortcomings are few, if any. All-tube Class "A" design, multiple cab outs, cool retro aesthetics, and a high degree of mod-ability, the Valve Jr. head is a total steal at $99. For players looking for their first tube amp, it's a total no-brainer.

Both the Power Block and the Valve Jr. Head are trememdous values, and both have many positives. Tailoring the already awesome tones of each with a good quailty cab / speaker combo will allow you to push your sound in whatever direction you want. Whatever route you decide to go, there will be tons of quality, usable tones at your command.

You say tomatoe, I say tomato . . .

[Justaguyin_nc]

Hello All,

I was eyeing up one of the Crate CPB150 PowerBlocks for $99.00 and wondered what you guys thought of theses amps?


M29

They are back to $199.00... at MF Wait..I found them at http://www.instrumentpro.com/P-CRACPB150?source=froogle at $99.00 plus shipping.. got a feeling they will be going back to $199.00 everyplace soon! Umm I just hit buy it now... I want it to sit on my desktop plugged straight to computer using my pedals only... hope its as tiny as I think it is...

[Justaguyin_nc]

I actually was looking for more advise here before purchasing.. it gets pretty good reviews at Harmony and I wanted it mainly for it's size in travel... and seeing it was not actually a negative review here.. it's in the mail now... I don't think the Valve Jr will go up in price soon.. or jump that much anyways.. hard to pass up a 50% savings if your looking for a small powerhouse with this many features..