newby needs some new sound. What do you think of this setup?

[nboyer941]

hey, I'm new...I've been playing for about 6 months and I need to get some speakers. what do you all think of this amp? they are 4 10" speakers

He said he would deliver anytime for $130.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ele/784010465.html

[Body]

I'd get it. Looks alright, and for 130 bucks...

[nboyer941]

anybody else? Is this thing any good?

[Martin Bormann]

Originally Posted by nboyer941

hey, I'm new...I've been playing for about 6 months and I need to get some speakers. what do you all think of this amp? they are 4 10" speakers

He said he would deliver anytime for $130.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ele/784010465.html

Well, I'm no fan of Crates, but regardless of how it sounds, don't buy this unless you try it out. Crates are typically solid state amps, and so it's a lot more difficult to repair if it's broken then just replacing a tube. I think $130 wouldn't even be the cost of the head new. So if he's selling both together, you need to figure "why does he want to get rid of it?" A good rule of thumb is not to trust a word the seller says and rely on your own demo of the equipment. It'd be a big mistake to buy the amp only to find out the caps in the rectifier circuit don't work or that the transformer doesn't work. that stuff can cost you quite the penny to repair. And on a cheap amp like a Crate, it wouldn't be worth it.

[nboyer941]

thats not good news.

I have no idea on how to tell if its good or bad. I mean I can plug in and play and he says it works and sounds good. Other than that, what can I look for?

[lomo]

Play it at loud volume and mess with every knob/control to be sure it works. No money paid until you've tested it. If it works properly it's fair for that price, which is less than you'd pay for many new pedals. If it matters to you, make sure you'll be able to move the cab-it could be a boat anchor.

[Martin Bormann]

Originally Posted by nboyer941

thats not good news.

I have no idea on how to tell if its good or bad. I mean I can plug in and play and he says it works and sounds good. Other than that, what can I look for?

For one that it works. No burning smells or smoke. Then after that listen to see if you can get the sound you want out of it. If it doesn't make a sound that satisfies you, it doesn't matter how cheap it is, it's not worth it.

But make sure it works, also inspect the speakers in the cab for tears around the edges of the sound holes. Speakers that have been blown or have slight tears will typically develop them there. Speakers though are a minor repair that if the rest of the setup is to your liking, is worth overlooking. One thing you'll notice when a cap is beginning to fail is that you'll hear more static in the amp
If a transformer is starting to fail, the power will flicker quite a bit.

If they completely fail, well it'll be easy to know.

The other thing I noticed is it's 150 watts. That's a hell of a lot of power if you're using it at home to practice on. You probably won't even be able to get to the 1 setting on the volume without having the police called on you.