I have a powered 2x10 Crate cabinet. Weighs a metric butt-ton, but it sounded amazing the last time I used it. Of course, since the divorce (2015) it's been sitting in storage lol....
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Crate Amp Club.
- Thread starter Big Hoss
- Start date
I searched for this club just in case...should have known.
I bought this for $50 from a shady character in a bad part of town. Sometimes it fritzes out and gets real quiet and farty, and I have to jigger the gain knob until it returns to normal. But not often. On top of the $50, I've spent another $50 on casters and contact cleaner (which helps with the fritzing out enormously). I'll probably spend another $50 in the next two weeks on a metal grill from the hardware store, mounting screws, washers, metal snips and a can of black spray paint. (If someone accidentally kicks in the speaker, it's got no value to me!)
It serves its purpose--primarily a basement practice amp, but I drag it out every couple of months to a gig. It's very, very heavy--probably 70 pounds. It sounds okay, and it's loud, but I don't have much to compare it to. It does have the upgraded EV speaker. I figure when it's time to upgrade, I'll be able to put it on Craigslist for what I have into it.
View attachment 2619432
Many years ago I used that same combo amp for hundreds of small room gigs. It saw lots of stage-sound use at outdoor desert/mountain gigs too. Then the same cutting-out issues started. Finally died (at a gig no less). I had the same plan to make it an extension cabinet even though the carpet covering was quite worn. Then it got stolen. No great loss as I upgraded to a GK 400RB and 2x15 Crate cab with JBL K140s. Now THAT was (is) a great rig!
- Sep 5, 2014
- 5,455
- 4,234
- Disclosures
- None
This still exist? Also dont have a crate bass amp but i do have a crate gxt100 guitar amp, that count?
- Sep 5, 2014
- 5,455
- 4,234
- Disclosures
- None
Free to, but since I donated my Crate to the youth ministry at my church, I am no longer assigning numbers. Just go with the way the SX club does... See my signature.
- Dec 28, 2009
- 2,053
- 1,380
- Disclosures
- Endorsed by K.B. Guitars, Nordstrand Audio Pickups, Von York Strings and Gallien-Krueger Amps.
I sure don't need another stack, but this showed up near me today. Hmmmm.
I've got a 2004 Crate BT50 incoming.
We'll see how I like it, soon enough.
It has to be better than the Vox headphone amp I'm currently using.
Invalid Link Removed
So, I'll take my number now.
It arrived today. It is LOUD.
The ground terminal is broken off of the AC power plug.
In the seller's pics, it was not broken off. It was a little bent, but they can usually be carefully straightened, IME.
It also hisses, even with all knobs at zero.
Will a missing AC ground cause this? I could see where it would.
The pots are scratchy. Cleaning them should fix that.
For $42.00, do I even have a legitimate gripe?
If I keep it, I'm not going to use it again until I repair/replace the cord.
I don't know if running it without a working ground connection will hurt it, but I don't think it's worth finding out.
We'll see how I like it, soon enough.
It has to be better than the Vox headphone amp I'm currently using.
Invalid Link Removed
So, I'll take my number now.
It arrived today. It is LOUD.
The ground terminal is broken off of the AC power plug.
In the seller's pics, it was not broken off. It was a little bent, but they can usually be carefully straightened, IME.
It also hisses, even with all knobs at zero.
Will a missing AC ground cause this? I could see where it would.
The pots are scratchy. Cleaning them should fix that.
For $42.00, do I even have a legitimate gripe?
If I keep it, I'm not going to use it again until I repair/replace the cord.
I don't know if running it without a working ground connection will hurt it, but I don't think it's worth finding out.
Last edited:
I'm in. Pics to come.
As promised.
It's a bit beat up by cats (not mine...at least, not yet.
) I still haven't had a chance to fully check it out. Came with the car I bought, sorta. 
As promised.
It's a bit beat up by cats (not mine...at least, not yet.
) I still haven't had a chance to fully check it out. Came with the car I bought, sorta.
Last edited:
Greetings, Crate enthusiasts.
I have a burning interest in the 18" speaker in the Crate BE-1810 cabinet. Manufacturer, part number and it's overall appearance. Anybody have one they could take a look at?
I have a burning interest in the 18" speaker in the Crate BE-1810 cabinet. Manufacturer, part number and it's overall appearance. Anybody have one they could take a look at?
Is this club still managed? If so, sign me up and give me a number. I got back into bass earnest last year and I looked around for a cheap combo with some power to it. I found a BX-160 in a pawn shop. No problems with it cutting out. Plays awesome. Deep, deep, clean lows. Great mids. Who knows how old it is! Makes my basses sound great.
My first bass amp, a Crate BX80 was a good place to start. But I moved on to a Peavey TNT130 in college and never really looked back.
This BE215 that came along with a GK800RB (and a Peavey 210) sounds really great! A sleeper cab for sure, I can’t believe I haven’t seen these mentioned on TB over the years. It’s light for a 215 — I dont think it would be happy being pushed as hard as I sometimes push my Bag End stack — but in my studio space, it is fat and clear with a warm drive response, and very fifteen-y. Perfect for my studio space.
Follow-up. After a few months, it started cutting out on me. I took it to my tech guy and he re-soldered some connections to the control panel. It has worked great since. Still sounds good!
An original B15...if it says "Crate", it should look like a crate. I'd love to snag a second and stack 'em. Notice I have it paired with a Trace Elliot 130...hey, a guy has to maintain a modicum of dignity!
I repaired a Crate BT50 today. (It's a useful coincidence seeing this thread pop up, I didn't look for it, had no idea it existed...)
The scratchy pots are likely due to stiffening of the grease in the bushing overwhelming the spring that keeps the pot wiper securely contacting the track. Unfortunately they fail HIGH if the pot wiper goes open circuit, i.e. loud even with low settings. If the amp hisses with no input, it likely means the main output pot, on the right hand end, has done this.
Scratchy pots can be fixed, but if you do it, take care on opening, the tuner module is fragile, and attached by three wires to a small plug. ALWAYS unplug from mains because it's awkward to handle when removing the amp, it takes a while to get a secure grip while moving it at all once you loosen the four bolts on the top of the amp..
A couple of drips of pure isopropanol, dripped onto the top of each pot, then rotating the pots until there is an easing of movement before moving to the next, is probably enough to fix this. Do all ten, and NOT while there is any power applied. How long it will stay fixed I don't know, but probably a long time if used in clean air.
Using a properly grounded power cable is important! It's an IEC inlet in the back of the amp so it's standard, you probably have a spare already. Most people have more than they need unless they chuck them away.
The amp IS loud, but I don't like it, the design has what I consider to be a major flaw: the four tone controls only shape the clean 'channel', not the distortion channel. Even if you switch for clean, then enable distortion via the footswitch as described by the manual, you still can't use the EQ controls to adjust tone of overdriven sound, you can only blend! I tried to get a Burnel-like sound out of it as best I could, but it's really not going to happen. There may be things it can do well, but I don't like it. One thing it may do surprisingly well is act as a guitar amp. I had that bit of info from a guitarist, the guy I repaired it for.
