CRATE - FW 120 opinion ???

[giosmrbig]

hi everyone !!!

can anybody tell me your opinion about this amp ?

CRATE FW 120

its for a friend of mine , he plays rock stile like mark knopfler and i need a good TRANSISTOR AMP.

is this right for him ?

i'm looking for some DEMOS on line but i can't find it...


i hope i'll find an answer here.

[JG]

Well I live in St Louis and have talked to some of the guys who worked for Crate. My guess is that the quality of the new stuff has improved over the last year but when they were switching to overseas manufacturing they had some big problems.
I have worked on some crate stuff and the design used in that amp is probably close to the amps they started manufacturing in the 80's which were good. I like Crate , I have owned a few , I have had a lot friends who own amps came from there R&D department. I wish I had one , they are freaking nice!
The only newer crate stuff I would buy would be the power block (you can only get them used now) or maybe one of there small tube amps.

[J M Fahey]

HI JG:
I´ve always been *very* curious about the circuits used in the PowerBlock.
*Maybe* you can ask some of your friends about it and post it or at least email a copy.
I would be most grateful.
Thanks.
J M Fahey
PS: living close to a factory and being their friend, sometimes is like Heaven on Earth.
The father of some old friends was an engine block supplier for the Argentine Fiat factory, everyone of them had 2 or 3 latest model Fiat cars, all in strange "experimental" colors or with weird details, for which they paid a nominal U$S 1000 price, just to satisfy the accountants at the factory and/or our "IRS".

[giosmrbig]

wow guys !! i live in italy !! we are very very far !! (sorry for my bad english)

anyway...

i posted that message, to undestand if the CRATE FW 120 is a good amplifier or not.

in italy the PRICE is 199 EURO.. (i think its a good price)

do you think i shoud buy it ? or you can suggest me some other model ?

i dont mind for the FACTORY (CRATE , FENDER.. ECT..) the most important thing is that it does not cost too much, and has a good sound (clean and lead)

this friend of mine is looking for a GOOD OVERDRIVE CHANNEL, he wants to emulate the FENDER SOUND (pretty much like DIRE STRAITS)

do you think this AMP can emulate that sound or not ?

.. i hope you can answer this question..

thanks !!

[J M Fahey]

¡Ciao caro!!
Getting back into English, all Crates are very good, and that price sounds very reasonable to me.
Now, "Dire Straits" sound is "Dire Straits sound", does not depend only on the amp, but on  good use of a compressor, an excellent guitar, thick strings for natural sustain (.012 or higher) *and* very skillful playing , which can't be "store bought".
Returning to the original point, that Crate won't hurt your sound, definitely, it's a good buy.

[JG]

I´ve always been *very* curious about the circuits used in the PowerBlock.
*Maybe* you can ask some of your friends about it and post it or at least email a copy.
I would be most grateful.

http://www.crateamps.com/pdf/manuals/CPB150_OM.pdf

Go crazy. If you where talking about a schematic? Email LOUD tech I have gotten a few schematics from them they are very helpful.  

How would you say Meteoro or Ginnini amps compare to Crate?
 

[Enzo]

Power block?  Try these.

[Brymus]

I love my Crates I have a GFX212-GX212-CR212(old marked SLM made in STLouis)-GX20M(just fixed up sounds AWESOME)
However the GX20M is the only one still working right.
I hope to fix them with some help from these forums.

I would say play the amp and see for yourself how it sounds.

My friend has a Crate G160 it has a single 12 EVM spkr and is absolutely incredible sounding.I like it better than my GX series amps.
You should be able to find a decent used 100watt Crate combo for 100$ or so.

[giosmrbig]

what about the COMPONENTS of the CRATE FW 120 ? (speakers etc...)

can you tell me something more specific ?

thanks...

[Brymus]

Im sorry I cant speak to the quality of the components.
As for my amps which are early 90s to late 90s models with the exception of the CR212 which is way older.
All my G series amps use regular transformer not toriodal also the electrolitic caps and resistors are of cheaper quality like evrey other mass produced low cost amp.
They all use film caps where needed but again low cost,and the clipping is diode based.
The older CR212 used a bit better quality components and construction including switchcraft components.
The spkrs in all my Crates sound great the 212 amps have the standard issue
"Crate Custom Desgn"12" spkrs that I have been told are Celestion G12 clones with better power handling.
They sound great with my other tube amps as well proly 94 or so db SPL.
I am just saying in case you want to try a used models these are great workhorse amps
for someone just starting to play with a good drummer and small shows.

Now for the model you suggest IDK I have read that "all" new Crate designs use toriodal transformers.
Over at Harmony Central and I think ampage some of the Crate engineers were discussing the new Crate lineup.
You could try Harmony Central for some reviews of your amp.
I have found my opinions of gear are usually the same as the majority of those reviews.
HERE is one musicians review you can find many more
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2392097

The HYPE
http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM07/article/Crate/FlexWave.html

Another user review
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar+Amp/product/Crate/FW120+Combo/25/1

Hope that better helps you 8|

[J M Fahey]

Hi JG
"How would you say Meteoro or Ginnini amps compare to Crate?"
Well, in fact I´m not Brazilian but Argentine, yet many of my clients are, I sell a lot there.
The Meteoros are straight copies of Marshalls from the 90's, so the SS ones are Valvestates and the tubed ones are JCM900 .
Their electronics are practically the same, but they suffer from poor speakers, which have been called "disguised car speakers" by the users.
When you see their 169 mm bumped magnets, 65mm diameter, long and heavy coils, the thick cardboard, cloth edged cones, but mainly their low efficiency and *no* highs, you can't disagree with that opinion.
Gianninis were very good copies of Fender Twins, and actually were sold in the USA under the "Univox" brand, and production overruns or unsold ones as "Duovox", in the early '70s.

[J M Fahey]

Enzo!!  My man !!!! *How* do you get *everything*? , schematics that I know for sure even official shops have trouble in getting?
I guess you must have some shady contacts in the underworld, there´s not any doubt about that.
Thanks a lot.
The preamp is very simple and very good, I had never thought that the power amp would be just a datasheet application, I had rather thought that it would be some klunky Chinese inrepairable monstrosity, but not, it´s a very clean design. Thanks again.

[Brymus]

WowI just read that stuff.
150watts into 8ohms 10% THD really cool but here is what REALLY impressed me.
All on a 35VA power supply,now thats an efficiant amp.
I might attempt that in the future although last time I saw a Power block on the Bay it sold for like 50$ or less I think.
Looks well worth checking out I have heard nothing but good stuff about the Power Blocks.

[joecool85]

WowI just read that stuff.
150watts into 8ohms 10% THD really cool but here is what REALLY impressed me.
All on a 35VA power supply,now thats an efficiant amp.
I might attempt that in the future although last time I saw a Power block on the Bay it sold for like 50$ or less I think.
Looks well worth checking out I have heard nothing but good stuff about the Power Blocks.

150w on 35VA is mathematically impossible.  Watts = Volts x Amps

VA (volts x amps) would need to be a minimum of 150, but due to waste heat generated etc, plan on 200-250VA for 150w output.

[Brymus]

I swore it said 35VA transformer but I looked again and didnt see it.I must been confused,
looking at to many schematics.

EDIT- Look at page 8 of the owners manual under power requirements.
Power supply 120VAC 60HZ 35VA
thats where I saw it at along with the THD and wattage ratings.
Is that a misprint ? or maybe the watts RMS is wrong instead ?