Indeed it's a great tone and I'm totally shocked. That Explorer sounds killer btw and love the look of it. Indeed cabinet/speakers make all the difference with any amp.
This is great. My first amp was a Crate GX-30. I got rid of that long ago, but recently picked one back up and I was surprised how good it sounded even with the shitty speaker. I built a footswitch for mine back in the day, but a generic 2 button on/off switch from Amazon absolutely works for footswitching these. I'm looking to do a speaker swap now, just checking out what speaker I can get for cheap because almost anything would be an improvement.
In my last band the other guitarist played a JCM 900, I played my new model Peavey Bandit. I managed to match the tone to the point where even he and I had trouble telling which tone came from which amp in the mix. Amazing rock and metal tone.
Love Crate. The FXT120 was my primary amp for a bit under a year and a half until I replaced it with a Boss Katana 50 MK2 in my rig because the Crate was too loud! I still have the old thing in the garage and it sounds wonderful.
This was a great video Robert the crate solid state stuff was great back in the day I agree there cabinets blow you should do a peavey special 120 that was my first amp .
I had a Crate TV6212 tube amp for a little while. I recall it sounding not too great through the stock speakers. Then, I plugged it straight into the board using the balanced out. The thing came alive! This experience, and this video, help to prove that it was in fact the speakers that were the weak link. If I ever see a TV6212 at a good price now....
Thank you. Two guitarists I toured with in the 90's had a JCM800 with a Boss Super Distortion and the other a JCM900. My first legit 50 watt tube amp combo was a USA Crate V50 VFX 2x12 designed by Billy Gibbons. I also have mad love for solid state amps. Great topic amigo!
Hi Robert,I had in late 80s Crate Chorus 2x10 40 watts and I ran through 4x12 Peavey VTM Cabinet,I got great Hard Rock tone and it was awesome sound and Ibanez tube screamer with it,guys from work and my friends over all time playing it, they love it and they actually went out bought amp and bought 4x12 Peavey VTM Cabinet and they love it,I use for practice and jamming with band and mic it,freaking awesome tone with les paul Seymour Duncan Distortion and Jazz at neck, and when you use clean sound with chorus on amp,it 80s clean sound.I wish Crate was still in Business make amps,I never had problem with amp,only problem had my friends were addictive to Amp and 4x12, Iam sorry I didn't buy couple more of them and keep them storage.Thank you,James
I does have a effects loop, it is the jack to the right of the effects labeled "INSERT", you need a 1/4"TRS to 1/4"L TS + !/4"R TS cord for the send/return. Look in the manual, it explains in more detail how to use it.
Awesome video! I have this exact amp and it is amazing!! For high gain, I just used a Behringer NS-300 (which is just a copy/clone Boss NS-2) using the 4-cable method and it gets rid of the hum and hiss with the high gain, especially with single coils which is what I play.
I have gotten my amp to sound similar to a more Marshall voicing with a little work, without having to use a Marshall in a Box pedal or an EQ, although I have those options also, and along with a Marshall amp, the MIB pedals and EQ helped me get the Crate GFX-1200H to sound more Marshall like.
Underrated, in a word. Reasonable price back in the day as well. It does bear asking what happened to Crate? Seemed like they were going strong, jumped the shark by releasing a guitar line, and they vanished. I recall a Crate vintage series being released out of crude looking wooden pallet crates, and the next thing I know they were gone.
Robert... I had an old peavey backstage back in the 80’s... I used it to record cuz it gave me an incredible “brown sound”...live it was ok, but it recorded like $5,000 marshall rig...great stuff my brother!!!!
I had a 900 like the 1 u hav with a 1960-A cab . And was about to say my 900 never sounded as good as the tracs u made . So u got me . Love the channel
DUDE!!!! That was awesome haha! You blew my mind when you pulled out that Crate 🤣 Like you I’m a total Marshall guy ( Gibson / Fender too ) and I’m totally jealous of that JCM 🤙 I finally just ordered an Orijen 50 and that’ll have to do.... ( I couldn’t justify buying a JCM because guitar playing is my hobby, I’m not gigging ) Anyway, great show man, I’ve been watching a lot of your content these past few days 🤙
Love the video. Awesome to see a solid state amp. Im not much of a guitar player so I'm not sure I would spend a lot of money on a tube amp right now. Good to see someone making an honest review of solid state. Great tone. Like button smashed! I also believe speaker and cabinet have more to do with tone than the amp. Good to hear you mention speakers
Don't tell anybody. But I love my Crate GX900H. I even like my Crate 4x12 Cab. I think it sounds great, and tight! No flub here. No flub zone. Doesn't need boost. Only bad thing about the amp is that it starts to crap out a little at high volume with a band, not enough power /headroom. Amp says 100 watts. But not at 16ohms, as with all solid state amps (I think). The lower the ohms the more power you get. I've been meaning to make a 4 ohm cab to see if I can squeeze out a little more juice at high volume. Amp can go as low as 2 ohms. I've bought 3 tube Marshalls. Although they sound great with the right tubes and settings, I still tend to miss the tightness and playability of the GX900H.
I’ve had a Crate Powerblock for a while, fought with it through a crappy 1x12 for a long time and almost got rid of it. Ended up picking up an old 80’s Randall 4x12 for $65. With a Boss SD-1 and a Reverb pedal, it’s one of the best sounding rigs I have.
CC Devile use crate solid state amps if I'm not mistaken. I owned a stereo chorus I think it it was the g40 . It was built in the late 80's. Great sounding amp with green backs.
@@RobertWJackson Thank you for bit of info. As you you said crate got a bad reputation but for the money , sound and build they were great. Ampeg made great gtr amps at one time as well . Crate and ampeg were both distributed I believe by Saint Louis music.Great gear.
Hello Robert, I totally agree about my JCM , however, I also believe my DSL100 is equally as good. I have a Crate combo that I use for playback backing tracks. Great video.
I own 2 Crate 60w combos, one tube and one solid state. Both are good amps, especially when you ditch the original speakers and upgrade. And they are tough! I bring my tube Crate to gigs as a backup to my Marshall DSL 40. Love that Music Man guitar!
I had a Crate Excaliber head that I had to sell way back in 2005, I loved that thing. I have looked all over eBay/musicgoround/GC, can't find one now. I'd like to have another just for nostalgia, like my old blue crackle GTX, first electric guitar that I ever bought
Solid state can be great. Vox took out the rectifier tube out from their C2/CX2 series and reconstructed a beautiful solid state rectifier that sags as well as the original. Does that make a Vox solid state amp? Partly. Every part of a tube amp can probably be replicated with solid state if careful attention is made and ignoring the rest of the industry. For starters a great speaker can make all the difference in the world
Dude I own this amp in a 2x12 combo. I have moved on to different amps. But to this day I plug into it and it is really a fun amp. BTW the explorer looks like a killer guitar.
I’ve had a Crate Powerblock for a while, fought with it through a crappy 1x12 for a long time and almost got rid of it. Ended up picking up an old 80’s Randall 4x12 for $65. With a Boss SD-1 and a Reverb pedal, it’s one of the best sounding rigs I have.
I think you might remember me telling you this story. I'll tell it again. About 3 years ago I was looking for an amp. One friend here in Colorado gave me a Fender Mustang 1. I still have it. Another friend was moving back to Texas and wanted to sale me his Peavy amp. I went to his house with my telecaster to check it out before buying. The first thing I notice was this. C R A T E. That's a funny way to spell Peavy. I plugged my guitar into the amp. All the knobs had shorts in them. You can turn the amp up, but you can't turn it down. And like you said in this video they are built like a tank. Your right. But this amp was so heavy I was afraid I was going to need an alinement if I was to put it in my car. So I stuck with my Fender Mustang.
Robert I remember when festival seating meant no seating at all! Then The Who played a concert in Ohio and the insurance companies butted in. I would have to go with the 900 because its on so many albums I love but the mid 80's Randall RG 100 get my love too, bought mine in 85 and it WILL NOT DIE! Some tuner cleaner every decade and she's good to go. Got a mid 90's 60w Crate Blue Voodoo tube amp, never been that crazy about. My Nam built DSL 100 sounds so good I imagine a classic JCM 900 would be bliss.
Everyone loves the JCM series of amps. You love them, I love them, your grandmother loves them. Anyone who says they don't like the JCM amps are lying.
Ha! Robert drops the Crate bomb and blows us all away. I love it! 😂 Peavey had the same problem. I just put one of their heads on a Celestion loaded cab and boom... golden.
Yeah not my type of sound, its not bad just not my thing. My tone is a plexi most of the way up (normal at 4 o'clock, high on 2 o'clock) with a tube screamer in front (volume max, slight gain). I really like the sound of power tubes as they breakup and moderate gain in the pre amp.
I used to play with a guy that had a GFX100 which sounded fairly similar to this with a hint of chorus, gain on 10, bass on 0, mid and treble on 10 and a digitech/dod death metal out front with all the knobs on 10 for extra grit. I don't recall what this rig sounded like--but use your imagination.
The Marshall JCM900 is a favorite of mine because the clean channel can easily cover country,blues,etc with equal aplomb. The drive is excellent for blues rock and classic rock to metal. The CRATE ss amp sounded great. There are always players claiming that ONLY tubes sound 'right'. While true in a lot of cases,definitely NOT all. Example,I had an 80s Peaavey Backstage 20 that would cover the aforementioned musical styles with ease and had an awesome tone. There a FEW players that swear by solid state amps only. Wether or not the amp is solid state,tube,a hybrid--tube preamp and solid state power section,or like some of the old Peavey and Music Man amps--a solid state preamp and a tube power section,to me what it boils down to is this : Does it sound good? If it sounds good turn it up and play it. I enjoyed the video and the playing.😎🤘🤘😎
My jaw just hit the floor! I've been one of the few guys to admit that I've had great experiences with Crate. That was absolutely brilliant. I really thought it was a JCM.
That was the idea. Though, most people did not seem to have the same reaction that you did. Apparently the intentionally click-bait-y title turned a lot of people off. LOL 🤷🏻♂️
@@RobertWJackson You clearly have made an impact on gear sales. After watching the video, I went to the Guitar Center website to see about snagging one of those amps. I found one for $54 and one for $68. I quickly put the cheaper one in my cart, tried to check out and it was no longer available. Mildly disappointed, I decided to get the more 'expensive' one. It was gone too. 🤔
I haven't seen one of these in awhile. you see the GFX combos a bit more. Jeff Fiorentino of JFrocks.com , really good studio player that early on did van halen lessons, used a crate gfx 212 that sounded killer for most of his lessons and jam tracks. I dont know if he subbed the speakers but his brown tone is really good.
AWESOME!!! DEFINATELY FOOLED ME LOL. I AM ONE OF THOSE VC GUYS. I ALSO KNEW OF THE LEE JACKSON STEALTH SERIES. FUNNY THING, MY LOCAL SHOP HAD THE 212 VERSION A MO AGO. I WAS KINDA INTRESTED BUT WAS SHOPPING FOR OTHER GEAR. REALLY CANT AFFORD A JCM NOR HAVE A NEED FOR THAT MUCH VOL. BUT I HAVE A DSL40 I RUN WITH AN EXT CAB. WHATS YOUR OPINION OF THOSE...
Amazingly, I couldn't tell the difference. OK, I admit, pretty much everything is going to sound about the same through my little one inch laptop speaker
I haven't turned on mine in over 2 years... been playing since 79 but nowadays my young children takes up all my time.... hard to regain the interest... I always wanted a 79 JMB like Doug Aldrich's but never found one in good enough shape or price.... I don't even remember what equipment is inside my 12U rack...lol
@@RobertWJackson yeah, I watched and listened... I was just saying that I don't really play anymore... once I had my 900 dcr 100w converted to a different tube but I don't think it was modded correctly coz it made sizzling noises... took it back and had el34's put back in... have stack with 1960ax and bx with 25w greebacks.... sad how the music industry is garbage nowadays but I am glad I grew up the guitar max era 70's-90's.... I would have thought invention of youtube would have produced the best guitarist the world has ever seen? But its fastly becoming a lost art.........rap and accutone singers is zero talent !!
@@RobertWJackson no problem yer a good guy. love yer intros thay make me smile . ya never take down comments. let me spout off my opinions on crapy china junk gear that has no soul.. dude you rock.
@@RobertWJackson Yes, I did watch the video. I was hoping it would be what the title said. But the JCM900's are still my favorite Marshalls. I understand you're trying to make a point, but we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
You know. I'm sitting here listening to your track and saying to myself, "Huh...I've played many of JCM900s and never got a sound like that...must be the guitar..." Then you bust out the mf crate lmfao
Nah, Line 6 ain’t going anywhere, especially now that they’re owned by Yamaha. In my opinion, Line 6’s products are a THOUSAND TIMES better now that they have Yamaha’s technology and financial backing behind them.
@@RobertWJackson But, being honest, I was not that surprised by your big reveal, as I have never understood the hate for Crate amps. Those I had the occasion to fiddle around with, always sounded at least decent. As far as JCM 900 goes, I still think it rocks. But seriously: has Marshall ever made a bad amplifier aside from the MG series? And from what I hear, the new MG lineup actually is quite ok as far as practice amps go. As far as I can remember, there were people complaining that "Ooooh, this is not a real Marshall anymore" whenever the company introduced something new. JCM 900 - "not a real Marshall anymore". JCM 2000, both DSL and TSL - "not a real Marshall anymore". JVM - "not a real Marshall", etc., yet some of their commercial failures are now prized collector's items, like the 6100 or the Mode Four you have reviewed not that long ago :) Robert - what's your take on that subject?
They’ve put out a few clunkers over the years (the all-but-forgotten JCM 600, the Haze Series, the Code Series, and in particular the MA Series amps all come to mind), but overall I agree with you. They’ve gotten it right more often than not.
@@RobertWJackson Oh, I've completely forgotten about the bloody MA. And about JCM 600, I've never had the chance to hear it live, though I've seen some being sold as "rare and exclusive collector's items"...
@@RobertWJackson I'm going great down here, my friend. Every day feels like a day on vacation when it's so beautiful outside! I've been keeping tabs on your chan. You've come a long way, and I really dig what you've been posting!
When you busted that Crate head out, that was the hardest I've laughed at something on your channel. I'd like to hear that Crate through your Marshall 1960A cab though. Also, my opinion may be biased because I own one, but the JCM 900 is definitely the best rock amp ever!!!
Also also, I really appreciate Twisty Knobby Mode. Other channels will turn some knobs but they don't leave the camera fixed and uncut, turning every knob from 1 through 10.
Also also also, I would never take my 900 to a bar gig, but I'd have no problem leaving that Crate unwatched backstage, loaning it out to another guitar player, or even care if something awful happened to it. But, look at my 900 sideways and we have a problem.
I play all tube amplifiers it's just the whole crate amp they have this like buzzy type of distortion it's hard to explain but I can't stand it for some reason could be the speakers speakers do have a lot to do with it but class a hams don't have any touch to them you can't get dynamic range from them not like the tube amplifier
It IS the speakers. Crate amps actually sound really good through a good speaker cab. The stock speakers that they put in them back in the 90’s and 2000’s were total garbage and had ZERO headroom, and to you point they unfortunately contributed quite a bit to the tone of those amps. Try an old Crate solid-state head through a cab with good Celestions in it and see what you’ve been missing out on.
Neither the 800 or 900 can compete with a late 80s Carvin X100B with Hot Rod Mod. The 900 is cool enough, but the overdrive is harsh, unnatural feeling, and lacks clarity and articulation. Plus neither gives you the beautiful clean of the Carvin (Carvin cleans are always the best). To each his own though.
Phuck, I got got. I jumped the gun😬 either way, slo-100 or jcm 800 and what cabinet to go with your choice (last time I ask about the slo-100) you knew exactly what I was doing first time I asked in a live chat. (Cough) validation of purchase (cough) 😬
Hey Robert, in my opinion, you got one of the best tones that you ever had on the channel in this video. That explorer looks amazing btw.
Thanks man!
That Explorer is sick!!!
How do you have it set
It’s all in the video.
Indeed it's a great tone and I'm totally shocked. That Explorer sounds killer btw and love the look of it. Indeed cabinet/speakers make all the difference with any amp.
This is great. My first amp was a Crate GX-30. I got rid of that long ago, but recently picked one back up and I was surprised how good it sounded even with the shitty speaker. I built a footswitch for mine back in the day, but a generic 2 button on/off switch from Amazon absolutely works for footswitching these.
I'm looking to do a speaker swap now, just checking out what speaker I can get for cheap because almost anything would be an improvement.
In my last band the other guitarist played a JCM 900, I played my new model Peavey Bandit. I managed to match the tone to the point where even he and I had trouble telling which tone came from which amp in the mix. Amazing rock and metal tone.
Love Crate. The FXT120 was my primary amp for a bit under a year and a half until I replaced it with a Boss Katana 50 MK2 in my rig because the Crate was too loud! I still have the old thing in the garage and it sounds wonderful.
This was a great video Robert the crate solid state stuff was great back in the day I agree there cabinets blow you should do a peavey special 120 that was my first amp .
I had a Crate TV6212 tube amp for a little while. I recall it sounding not too great through the stock speakers. Then, I plugged it straight into the board using the balanced out. The thing came alive! This experience, and this video, help to prove that it was in fact the speakers that were the weak link. If I ever see a TV6212 at a good price now....
Thank you. Two guitarists I toured with in the 90's had a JCM800 with a Boss Super Distortion and the other a JCM900. My first legit 50 watt tube amp combo was a USA Crate V50 VFX 2x12 designed by Billy Gibbons. I also have mad love for solid state amps. Great topic amigo!
Hi Robert,I had in late 80s Crate Chorus 2x10 40 watts and I ran through 4x12 Peavey VTM Cabinet,I got great Hard Rock tone and it was awesome sound and Ibanez tube screamer with it,guys from work and my friends over all time playing it, they love it and they actually went out bought amp and bought 4x12 Peavey VTM Cabinet and they love it,I use for practice and jamming with band and mic it,freaking awesome tone with les paul Seymour Duncan Distortion and Jazz at neck, and when you use clean sound with chorus on amp,it 80s clean sound.I wish Crate was still in Business make amps,I never had problem with amp,only problem had my friends were addictive to Amp and 4x12, Iam sorry I didn't buy couple more of them and keep them storage.Thank you,James
I does have a effects loop, it is the jack to the right of the effects labeled "INSERT", you need a 1/4"TRS to 1/4"L TS + !/4"R TS cord for the send/return. Look in the manual, it explains in more detail how to use it.
Awesome video! I have this exact amp and it is amazing!! For high gain, I just used a Behringer NS-300 (which is just a copy/clone Boss NS-2) using the 4-cable method and it gets rid of the hum and hiss with the high gain, especially with single coils which is what I play.
I have gotten my amp to sound similar to a more Marshall voicing with a little work, without having to use a Marshall in a Box pedal or an EQ, although I have those options also, and along with a Marshall amp, the MIB pedals and EQ helped me get the Crate GFX-1200H to sound more Marshall like.
Underrated, in a word. Reasonable price back in the day as well. It does bear asking what happened to Crate? Seemed like they were going strong, jumped the shark by releasing a guitar line, and they vanished.
I recall a Crate vintage series being released out of crude looking wooden pallet crates, and the next thing I know they were gone.
Crate was owned by St. Louis Music, got bought out by LOUD Technologies, started being made in China, then disappeared.
Great video, sounded really good, ive always liked the crate distortion sound.
Crate made great amps, I'd love to get a BLUE VOODOO! Another awesome video!!! Thanks and see you next Saturday!
Robert... I had an old peavey backstage back in the 80’s... I used it to record cuz it gave me an incredible “brown sound”...live it was ok, but it recorded like $5,000 marshall rig...great stuff my brother!!!!
I had a 900 like the 1 u hav with a 1960-A cab . And was about to say my 900 never sounded as good as the tracs u made . So u got me . Love the channel
Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed it!
DUDE!!!! That was awesome haha! You blew my mind when you pulled out that Crate 🤣
Like you I’m a total Marshall guy ( Gibson / Fender too ) and I’m totally jealous of that JCM 🤙
I finally just ordered an Orijen 50 and that’ll have to do.... ( I couldn’t justify buying a JCM because guitar playing is my hobby, I’m not gigging )
Anyway, great show man, I’ve been watching a lot of your content these past few days 🤙
Thanks man! Glad you’re enjoying the content!
Love the video. Awesome to see a solid state amp. Im not much of a guitar player so I'm not sure I would spend a lot of money on a tube amp right now. Good to see someone making an honest review of solid state. Great tone. Like button smashed!
I also believe speaker and cabinet have more to do with tone than the amp. Good to hear you mention speakers
What did you use for that majestic clean tone?
Just the piezo pickup on my Majesty straight into the clean channel on the amp with a lot of chorus and reverb also on the amp.
Don't tell anybody. But I love my Crate GX900H. I even like my Crate 4x12 Cab. I think it sounds great, and tight! No flub here. No flub zone. Doesn't need boost. Only bad thing about the amp is that it starts to crap out a little at high volume with a band, not enough power /headroom. Amp says 100 watts. But not at 16ohms, as with all solid state amps (I think). The lower the ohms the more power you get. I've been meaning to make a 4 ohm cab to see if I can squeeze out a little more juice at high volume. Amp can go as low as 2 ohms. I've bought 3 tube Marshalls. Although they sound great with the right tubes and settings, I still tend to miss the tightness and playability of the GX900H.
I own 2 crate powerblocks that I run in stereo with a POD HD500X into a 1960B stereo. I absolutely love it!! 🤟🎸🤟🎸
I’ve had a Crate Powerblock for a while, fought with it through a crappy 1x12 for a long time and almost got rid of it. Ended up picking up an old 80’s Randall 4x12 for $65. With a Boss SD-1 and a Reverb pedal, it’s one of the best sounding rigs I have.
The greatest video intro of all time
I have just now bought one myself but I am still looking for an cabinet to pair it with! Any tips? (2x12 is my preference)
Depends on what kind of sound you want and how much you wanna spend, really.
@@RobertWJackson I am looking for a cabinet for mostly rock music with a lot of distortion, the budget is not really a problem for me
I’d probably go with a Mesa Dual Recto cab myself. They seem to sound good with just about anything.
CC Devile use crate solid state amps if I'm not mistaken. I owned a stereo chorus I think it it was the g40 . It was built in the late 80's. Great sounding amp with green backs.
C.C. DeVille actually used the Blue Voodoos, but they are Crate amps nonetheless.
Ty Tabor of Kings X comes to mind as well for using solid state!!!
I think Ty Tabor used the Lab Series L5’s, didn’t he?
@@RobertWJackson Thank you for bit of info. As you you said crate got a bad reputation but for the money , sound and build they were great. Ampeg made great gtr amps at one time as well . Crate and ampeg were both distributed I believe by Saint Louis music.Great gear.
@@RobertWJackson I believe he did.
Not the worst sound I've heard. Always liked the tube stuff, even with the bad speakers. Good vid! Speakers matter!
Hello Robert, I totally agree about my JCM , however, I also believe my DSL100 is equally as good. I have a Crate combo that I use for playback backing tracks. Great video.
Sounds much better than the other demos I have watched for this amp. It'd be nice if you played more guitar in your videos like you did in this one.
I play about this in most of my videos. 🤷🏻♂️
I own 2 Crate 60w combos, one tube and one solid state. Both are good amps, especially when you ditch the original speakers and upgrade. And they are tough! I bring my tube Crate to gigs as a backup to my Marshall DSL 40. Love that Music Man guitar!
Great sounds!
Thanks!
I had a Crate Excaliber head that I had to sell way back in 2005, I loved that thing. I have looked all over eBay/musicgoround/GC, can't find one now. I'd like to have another just for nostalgia, like my old blue crackle GTX, first electric guitar that I ever bought
got one yesterday on a second-hand- market...Dream of my Youth...Price: 130.- Euros....!!!
Something tells me you didn’t watch this video. LOL
Solid state can be great. Vox took out the rectifier tube out from their C2/CX2 series and reconstructed a beautiful solid state rectifier that sags as well as the original. Does that make a Vox solid state amp? Partly. Every part of a tube amp can probably be replicated with solid state if careful attention is made and ignoring the rest of the industry. For starters a great speaker can make all the difference in the world
Dude I own this amp in a 2x12 combo. I have moved on to different amps. But to this day I plug into it and it is really a fun amp. BTW the explorer looks like a killer guitar.
I’ve had a Crate Powerblock for a while, fought with it through a crappy 1x12 for a long time and almost got rid of it. Ended up picking up an old 80’s Randall 4x12 for $65. With a Boss SD-1 and a Reverb pedal, it’s one of the best sounding rigs I have.
I think you might remember me telling you this story. I'll tell it again. About 3 years ago I was looking for an amp. One friend here in Colorado gave me a Fender Mustang 1. I still have it. Another friend was moving back to Texas and wanted to sale me his Peavy amp. I went to his house with my telecaster to check it out before buying. The first thing I notice was this. C R A T E. That's a funny way to spell Peavy. I plugged my guitar into the amp. All the knobs had shorts in them. You can turn the amp up, but you can't turn it down. And like you said in this video they are built like a tank. Your right. But this amp was so heavy I was afraid I was going to need an alinement if I was to put it in my car. So I stuck with my Fender Mustang.
I had flex tone 15 and a gld120 great tones. Replaced the stock speaker in the 15 with a Yamaha and it rocked.
Good video Robert
Robert I remember when festival seating meant no seating at all! Then The Who played a concert in Ohio and the insurance companies butted in. I would have to go with the 900 because its on so many albums I love but the mid 80's Randall RG 100 get my love too, bought mine in 85 and it WILL NOT DIE! Some tuner cleaner every decade and she's good to go. Got a mid 90's 60w Crate Blue Voodoo tube amp, never been that crazy about. My Nam built DSL 100 sounds so good I imagine a classic JCM 900 would be bliss.
The only thing i'd change is a better transformer, i think the output, Love those amps! one was common issue with tecks, Love those amps!
Something tells me you didn’t watch the whole video. LOL
I feel violated! You Crate Catfished me! Bastards! 😆
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Everyone loves the JCM series of amps. You love them, I love them, your grandmother loves them. Anyone who says they don't like the JCM amps are lying.
You clearly didn’t watch the entire video, did you?
Enjoyed the bait and switch. Great video. Point proven.
Thanks Charles!
What speeker did you use
I watched it again to find out ...i got it
The love for your Music Man continues, is it still on your top 5 favorites of the guitars you own?
Yep, still #1, actually. ;)
Love the Explorer! Awesome tone!
Thanks man!
The band I was in in high school, had both of those amps lol both are great, guy with the crate ended up with a warhead!
Ha! Robert drops the Crate bomb and blows us all away. I love it! 😂 Peavey had the same problem. I just put one of their heads on a Celestion loaded cab and boom... golden.
Hey Robert, the orange explorer sounds killer...and it suits you well.
Thanks man!
Wow that crate head took me back to 97-01
Yeah not my type of sound, its not bad just not my thing. My tone is a plexi most of the way up (normal at 4 o'clock, high on 2 o'clock) with a tube screamer in front (volume max, slight gain). I really like the sound of power tubes as they breakup and moderate gain in the pre amp.
I used to play with a guy that had a GFX100 which sounded fairly similar to this with a hint of chorus, gain on 10, bass on 0, mid and treble on 10 and a digitech/dod death metal out front with all the knobs on 10 for extra grit. I don't recall what this rig sounded like--but use your imagination.
A DOD Death Metal distortion set to Buzzsaw mode pretty much says it all. LOL
Nice tone on this one,
🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
The Marshall JCM900 is a favorite of mine because the clean channel can easily cover country,blues,etc with equal aplomb. The drive is excellent for blues rock and classic rock to metal. The CRATE ss amp sounded great. There are always players claiming that ONLY tubes sound 'right'. While true in a lot of cases,definitely NOT all. Example,I had an 80s Peaavey Backstage 20 that would cover the aforementioned musical styles with ease and had an awesome tone. There a FEW players that swear by solid state amps only. Wether or not the amp is solid state,tube,a hybrid--tube preamp and solid state power section,or like some of the old Peavey and Music Man amps--a solid state preamp and a tube power section,to me what it boils down to is this : Does it sound good? If it sounds good turn it up and play it. I enjoyed the video and the playing.😎🤘🤘😎
Thanks man!
So the vid is not about the 900?
Nope. I hate to be misleading, but that was the only way that I could effectively get my point across. 😉
I made a vid with a crate amp through a laney cab. It sounded descent
My jaw just hit the floor! I've been one of the few guys to admit that I've had great experiences with Crate. That was absolutely brilliant. I really thought it was a JCM.
That was the idea. Though, most people did not seem to have the same reaction that you did. Apparently the intentionally click-bait-y title turned a lot of people off. LOL 🤷🏻♂️
@@RobertWJackson You clearly have made an impact on gear sales. After watching the video, I went to the Guitar Center website to see about snagging one of those amps. I found one for $54 and one for $68. I quickly put the cheaper one in my cart, tried to check out and it was no longer available. Mildly disappointed, I decided to get the more 'expensive' one. It was gone too. 🤔
Maybe, but it was also likely Arnold’s recent video on the same amp. (Arnold from ArnoldPlaysGuitar.)
Yep. I've been telling people speakers and cabs are one of the biggest ways to change your tone
Yep, that is correct.
Can you do an actual demo of the JCM900 for us then? Pretty please with a cherry on top!😁
Marshall JCM900 Model 4100 Dual Reverb ruclips.net/video/el4lvZtAvPc/видео.html
@@RobertWJackson excellente kind Sir!
Your views on this one are spot on .
Thanks!
Selling my 900 with a mint 1960a was the biggest musical regret of my life
I haven't seen one of these in awhile. you see the GFX combos a bit more.
Jeff Fiorentino of JFrocks.com , really good studio player that early on did van halen lessons, used a crate gfx 212 that sounded killer for most of his lessons and jam tracks. I dont know if he subbed the speakers but his brown tone is really good.
Love me a JCM Marshall
You didn’t watch the whole video, did you?
AWESOME!!! DEFINATELY FOOLED ME LOL. I AM ONE OF THOSE VC GUYS. I ALSO KNEW OF THE LEE JACKSON STEALTH SERIES. FUNNY THING, MY LOCAL SHOP HAD THE 212 VERSION A MO AGO. I WAS KINDA INTRESTED BUT WAS SHOPPING FOR OTHER GEAR. REALLY CANT AFFORD A JCM NOR HAVE A NEED FOR THAT MUCH VOL. BUT I HAVE A DSL40 I RUN WITH AN EXT CAB. WHATS YOUR OPINION OF THOSE...
The current Marshall DSL series amps all sound great.
Mate i have a crate gt1200h and it kicks most tube amps butts
That is one awesome looking explorer tbh
Thanks man!
Sounds like a class a amp.
Crate amplifiers don't shock for no apparent reason. That's the norm for Kustom.
Yep. I’ve been zapped pretty good more than one Tuck ‘N Roll. LOL
Amazingly, I couldn't tell the difference. OK, I admit, pretty much everything is going to sound about the same through my little one inch laptop speaker
I was wondering why the track had literally no midrange punch and sounded like mush. Lol
That explorer is beautiful
Thanks!
I agree I have jcm 900 one 12 combo 100 watts
I haven't turned on mine in over 2 years... been playing since 79 but nowadays my young children takes up all my time.... hard to regain the interest... I always wanted a 79 JMB like Doug Aldrich's but never found one in good enough shape or price.... I don't even remember what equipment is inside my 12U rack...lol
I have a sneaking suspicion that you didn’t watch this video before commenting, did you? LOL
@@RobertWJackson yeah, I watched and listened... I was just saying that I don't really play anymore... once I had my 900 dcr 100w converted to a different tube but I don't think it was modded correctly coz it made sizzling noises... took it back and had el34's put back in... have stack with 1960ax and bx with 25w greebacks.... sad how the music industry is garbage nowadays but I am glad I grew up the guitar max era 70's-90's.... I would have thought invention of youtube would have produced the best guitarist the world has ever seen? But its fastly becoming a lost art.........rap and accutone singers is zero talent !!
So you’re aware that this video isn’t really about a Marshall, right?
@@RobertWJackson was about shaping the Crate settings to get the ultimate sound out of it...
It's the greatest rock amp because it goes to 20, which is 9 louder than all other amps.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
good video.
Thanks!
@@RobertWJackson no problem yer a good guy. love yer intros thay make me smile . ya never take down comments. let me spout off my opinions on crapy china junk gear that has no soul.. dude you rock.
You did have me fooled
I owned two. They're the best Marshalls I ever had.
But did you watch the video? There’s a twist in there. LOL
@@RobertWJackson Yes, I did watch the video. I was hoping it would be what the title said. But the JCM900's are still my favorite Marshalls. I understand you're trying to make a point, but we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
I have 2 60 wat crate amps for my pa
I have to admit you had me fooled
Nice plot twist!
Thanks! 😄
You're doing the Lord's work.
Cool! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
You know. I'm sitting here listening to your track and saying to myself, "Huh...I've played many of JCM900s and never got a sound like that...must be the guitar..." Then you bust out the mf crate lmfao
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
they are great....the DSL was a step backwards
IMHO “Fan Boy$ of the Big Brand$” put Crate out of business. History repeats itself. These days they’re trying to do the same with Line 6.
Nah, Line 6 ain’t going anywhere, especially now that they’re owned by Yamaha. In my opinion, Line 6’s products are a THOUSAND TIMES better now that they have Yamaha’s technology and financial backing behind them.
Dang gr8 song I like it
Thanks!
I have the single channel mkIII
The greatest bamboozle of all time
Thanks man!
Solid state amps get all hate. If you didn't know probably never tell tone wise for the average Joe.
Exactly. Do you think anybody in your audience really gives a shit whether or not your amp has tubes in it?
@@RobertWJackson I know my neighbors don't
Greatest...? Nah, JVM is still better :) But it is a killer amp, and currently cheap AF on the used market.
On a side note, that Majesty is gorgeous.
You didn’t watch the whole video, did you? LOL
@@RobertWJackson I did, but I actually commented before watching through it all. Shame on me ;)
@@RobertWJackson But, being honest, I was not that surprised by your big reveal, as I have never understood the hate for Crate amps. Those I had the occasion to fiddle around with, always sounded at least decent.
As far as JCM 900 goes, I still think it rocks. But seriously: has Marshall ever made a bad amplifier aside from the MG series? And from what I hear, the new MG lineup actually is quite ok as far as practice amps go. As far as I can remember, there were people complaining that "Ooooh, this is not a real Marshall anymore" whenever the company introduced something new. JCM 900 - "not a real Marshall anymore". JCM 2000, both DSL and TSL - "not a real Marshall anymore". JVM - "not a real Marshall", etc., yet some of their commercial failures are now prized collector's items, like the 6100 or the Mode Four you have reviewed not that long ago :)
Robert - what's your take on that subject?
They’ve put out a few clunkers over the years (the all-but-forgotten JCM 600, the Haze Series, the Code Series, and in particular the MA Series amps all come to mind), but overall I agree with you. They’ve gotten it right more often than not.
@@RobertWJackson Oh, I've completely forgotten about the bloody MA. And about JCM 600, I've never had the chance to hear it live, though I've seen some being sold as "rare and exclusive collector's items"...
I see what you did there. ;)
You like that? LOL
@@RobertWJackson 11's across the board!
Thank you sir! How’ve you been, by the way?
@@RobertWJackson I'm going great down here, my friend. Every day feels like a day on vacation when it's so beautiful outside! I've been keeping tabs on your chan. You've come a long way, and I really dig what you've been posting!
Thanks man! You know me, I’m just a regular dude who loves guitar gear. I still seem to collect it better than I play it, though. LOL
When you busted that Crate head out, that was the hardest I've laughed at something on your channel. I'd like to hear that Crate through your Marshall 1960A cab though. Also, my opinion may be biased because I own one, but the JCM 900 is definitely the best rock amp ever!!!
Also also, I really appreciate Twisty Knobby Mode. Other channels will turn some knobs but they don't leave the camera fixed and uncut, turning every knob from 1 through 10.
Also also also, I would never take my 900 to a bar gig, but I'd have no problem leaving that Crate unwatched backstage, loaning it out to another guitar player, or even care if something awful happened to it. But, look at my 900 sideways and we have a problem.
That is a chonky tone
Wazzup
I play all tube amplifiers it's just the whole crate amp they have this like buzzy type of distortion it's hard to explain but I can't stand it for some reason could be the speakers speakers do have a lot to do with it but class a hams don't have any touch to them you can't get dynamic range from them not like the tube amplifier
It IS the speakers. Crate amps actually sound really good through a good speaker cab. The stock speakers that they put in them back in the 90’s and 2000’s were total garbage and had ZERO headroom, and to you point they unfortunately contributed quite a bit to the tone of those amps. Try an old Crate solid-state head through a cab with good Celestions in it and see what you’ve been missing out on.
Neither the 800 or 900 can compete with a late 80s Carvin X100B with Hot Rod Mod. The 900 is cool enough, but the overdrive is harsh, unnatural feeling, and lacks clarity and articulation. Plus neither gives you the beautiful clean of the Carvin (Carvin cleans are always the best). To each his own though.
k
I wanted to watch avideo about the JCM900 and you TRICKED me into watching one a about the Crate. BE HONEST IN YOUR TITLES, DON'T LIE TO PEOPLE!!!
k
Though that was kind of the point.
900 for rock, 800 for metal?
Phuck, I got got. I jumped the gun😬 either way, slo-100 or jcm 800 and what cabinet to go with your choice (last time I ask about the slo-100) you knew exactly what I was doing first time I asked in a live chat. (Cough) validation of purchase (cough) 😬