Crate Power Block or Quilter?

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DopesickDopesick Frets: 1507
edited March 2017 in Amps
I ordered a Quilter Tone Block a few weeks ago from Wembley Music Centre online, but turns out that as soon as my order was completed, they rang me telling me they needed to bring more stock in. (How convenient!) They said this could take anything from a few days to a week or two.

The Quilter would be used mainly for rehearsals and a backup for my Matamp at gigs because it's loud, light, powerful and perfect for using as a pedal platform. It sounds absolutely ideal. However weeks after my order and not a word from WMC. I'm getting itchy feet and beginning to reconsider...

Seeing as money is a constant ongoing issue, I remembered about the Crate Power Block which of course is no longer in production, but I've seen a couple on eBay and they're going for much cheaper price than the Quilter. I'd like to think I'm investing in a quality product befitting of my circumstances, but it would be nice to save some pennies as well!

Does anybody know if the Crate PB takes pedals well with it running on clean? Should I opt to get a Crate PB which would be less than half the price of the Quilter? Or should I wait and get my moneys worth with the Quilter?
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Comments

  • CabicularCabicular Frets: 2214
    My opinion of the crate is not high
    they sounded flat brittle and lifeless to me
    this was in pre- modeller Britain though so maybe they provide a flat environment for one of them
    my ears say no 
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  • John_AJohn_A Frets: 3775
     EHX Magnum 44 sounds way better than the Crate, I really like them - I had a Crate years ago, they really do sound awful!  Those new mini Vox heads look cool, no idea how they sound though
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  • DopesickDopesick Frets: 1507
    Cheers @Cabicular

    I should reiterate that my drive pedals will be on full whack 95% of the time. Would the clean signal or whatever of the Crate really effect them that much? It's an Amptweaker FatMetal with a Pharaoh Fuzz.
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  • usedtobeusedtobe Frets: 3841
    Heard only bad things about the Crate one...
     so if you fancy a reissue of a guitar they never made in a colour they never used then it probably isn't too overpriced.

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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    The Crate power block has a really bad reputation for sounding terrible and being very unreliable.
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  • CabicularCabicular Frets: 2214
    Oh yes
    think of the clean signal like the Eq of an amp
    put those pedals into a Fender twin and they will likely sound awful where as into a clean Marshall they will sound pretty decent
    I've had a tight metal pro and various fuzzes and my opinion (and it is only that) is that the crate will make them sound flat with a lot of high end fizz.
    i would hang on for the quilter or look at other alternatives. A good ss bass amp would be a small and portable alternative
    best thing to do is get yourselves into a shop with your pedals and try stuff if possible
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  • DopesickDopesick Frets: 1507
    edited March 2017
    Hmm this is a pity!

    Guess I'll persevere with the Quilter. The EHX Magnum 44 (and the new Quilter Microblock 45) look nice but not sure they'd be powerful enough. Bear in mind we like to play obscenely loud.

    Might pay a visit to Coda for a mess about and see if they got anything going cheap.
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  • John_AJohn_A Frets: 3775
    The Magnums are surprisingly loud, I used one in a 2 guitar band with a loud drummer and it was more than loud enough for pub gigs
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  • CabicularCabicular Frets: 2214
    Yamaha THR is a good light SS option
    an Orange Bass Terror is surprisingly good too
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    You will need something with a lot of power then.

    Also keep in mind that lots of people have experienced the 44 Magnum going pop when run hard.
    If size isn't totally critical then consider something like the Harley Benton or Palmer 1U 200w power amps. You will need something like a Joyo American Sound to act as a preamp, but that's going to give you huge power at lost cost and smallish size.
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  • CabicularCabicular Frets: 2214
    The other bonus with the THR100 Head is you have a decent sounding Gain sound if your pedalboard goes phut as well

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  • DopesickDopesick Frets: 1507
    edited March 2017
    I'd rather stay away from modelling amps to be honest.

    @monquixote I did check the Palmer power amp which looks like a steal. Is the Joyo American Sound based on a Fender Twin or something?

    Thing is that my main drive tone (Amptweaker) is a preamp pedal - but the way my board is set up, it'd be a hassle to switch it around every time (I always run into the input of the Matamp, never the FX return). The Joyo American Sound or perhaps the AMT F-1 could act as the clean channel into the poweramp.

    I also looked at the Matrix VB800 which looks fantastic but is even more expensive than the Quilter.


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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    edited March 2017 tFB Trader
    Dopesick said:
    I'd rather stay away from modelling amps to be honest.

    @monquixote I did check the Palmer power amp which looks like a steal. Is the Joyo American Sound based on a Fender Twin or something?

    Thing is that my main drive tone (Amptweaker) is a preamp pedal - but the way my board is set up, it'd be a hassle to switch it around every time. The Joyo American Sound or perhaps the AMT F-1 could act as the clean channel into the poweramp.

    I also looked at the Matrix VB800 which looks fantastic but is even more expensive than the Quilter.


    It's a fender tweed bassman type sound. It's a clone of the Tech 21 blonde (I actually have a blonde pedal for sale). 
    @digitalscream is a big fan of the F1

    I notice that Wembley have the Pro Block in stock so you could always switch your order.


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  • John_AJohn_A Frets: 3775
    edited March 2017

    Also keep in mind that lots of people have experienced the 44 Magnum going pop when run hard.
    I keep hearing this, but who are these 'lots of people'?  Mine was ran hard 3 times a week for a year and never flickered, buy from Thomann and get a 3 year warranty for peace of mind.
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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26450
    Dopesick said:
    I'd rather stay away from modelling amps to be honest.

    monquixote I did check the Palmer power amp which looks like a steal. Is the Joyo American Sound based on a Fender Twin or something?

    Thing is that my main drive tone (Amptweaker) is a preamp pedal - but the way my board is set up, it'd be a hassle to switch it around every time (I always run into the input of the Matamp, never the FX return). The Joyo American Sound or perhaps the AMT F-1 could act as the clean channel into the poweramp.

    I also looked at the Matrix VB800 which looks fantastic but is even more expensive than the Quilter.


    The Amptweaker pedals are very similar to the Bogner Ecstasy Red in terms of how they work. I use the AMT F-1 as an "always-on" pedal at the end of the chain (but before my delay, because I need stereo-ness when recording), and run the Bogner into that; I then plug the output of the board straight into the loop return of any amp and it's just like plugging into a Fender Twin.

    It sounds glorious to me, and it removes the need for lots of farting around with effects loop cabling. On top of that, it means that all the volume and EQ is at your feet rather than on an amp a few yards behind you, so there's even more convenience.

    If you wanted, you could put your Amptweaker in the preamp loop of the F-1 - that way when you disengage the F1, it switches to the Amptweaker (basically the functionality of an A/B looper built in).
    <space for hire>
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    John_A said:

    Also keep in mind that lots of people have experienced the 44 Magnum going pop when run hard.
    I keep hearing this, but who are these 'lots of people'?  Mine was ran hard 3 times a week for a year and never flickered, buy from Thomann and get a 3 year warranty for peace of mind.

    I can't give you their names and addresses, but there are quite a few people on here who have had them go bang and I have had enough EHX stuff fail on me to refuse to rely on it for a gig any more.

    I don't really care if I can get my money back if it goes bang unless I can also get all the money back from the lost bookings at the venue where I lost the gig by having my amp blow up mid show.
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  • DopesickDopesick Frets: 1507
    Dopesick said:
    I'd rather stay away from modelling amps to be honest.

    monquixote I did check the Palmer power amp which looks like a steal. Is the Joyo American Sound based on a Fender Twin or something?

    Thing is that my main drive tone (Amptweaker) is a preamp pedal - but the way my board is set up, it'd be a hassle to switch it around every time (I always run into the input of the Matamp, never the FX return). The Joyo American Sound or perhaps the AMT F-1 could act as the clean channel into the poweramp.

    I also looked at the Matrix VB800 which looks fantastic but is even more expensive than the Quilter.


    The Amptweaker pedals are very similar to the Bogner Ecstasy Red in terms of how they work. I use the AMT F-1 as an "always-on" pedal at the end of the chain (but before my delay, because I need stereo-ness when recording), and run the Bogner into that; I then plug the output of the board straight into the loop return of any amp and it's just like plugging into a Fender Twin.

    It sounds glorious to me, and it removes the need for lots of farting around with effects loop cabling. On top of that, it means that all the volume and EQ is at your feet rather than on an amp a few yards behind you, so there's even more convenience.

    If you wanted, you could put your Amptweaker in the preamp loop of the F-1 - that way when you disengage the F1, it switches to the Amptweaker (basically the functionality of an A/B looper built in).
    That's exactly how I would use it (well, not before anything and replace the Bogner with the Amptweaker obvs). The F1 would be my clean channel as you say.

    I'd still rather just go into the amps input though rather than using it as a power amp so I wouldn't have to faff around rearranging my board mid-gig!
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  • CabicularCabicular Frets: 2214
    Don't discount the THR because of the modelling
    its an extra you might not have to use
    The clean amp on that will sound closer to your Matamp than a straight poweramp

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  • DopesickDopesick Frets: 1507
    Cabicular said:
    Don't discount the THR because of the modelling
    its an extra you might not have to use
    The clean amp on that will sound closer to your Matamp than a straight poweramp

    Hmm yes I have done some more reading and it's more than meets the eye it seems. It's a wee bit bigger than I'm looking for but it's light and versatile.

    There was one going here quite cheap a few days ago as well....bugger.
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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26450
    Dopesick said:
    Dopesick said:
    I'd rather stay away from modelling amps to be honest.

    monquixote I did check the Palmer power amp which looks like a steal. Is the Joyo American Sound based on a Fender Twin or something?

    Thing is that my main drive tone (Amptweaker) is a preamp pedal - but the way my board is set up, it'd be a hassle to switch it around every time (I always run into the input of the Matamp, never the FX return). The Joyo American Sound or perhaps the AMT F-1 could act as the clean channel into the poweramp.

    I also looked at the Matrix VB800 which looks fantastic but is even more expensive than the Quilter.


    The Amptweaker pedals are very similar to the Bogner Ecstasy Red in terms of how they work. I use the AMT F-1 as an "always-on" pedal at the end of the chain (but before my delay, because I need stereo-ness when recording), and run the Bogner into that; I then plug the output of the board straight into the loop return of any amp and it's just like plugging into a Fender Twin.

    It sounds glorious to me, and it removes the need for lots of farting around with effects loop cabling. On top of that, it means that all the volume and EQ is at your feet rather than on an amp a few yards behind you, so there's even more convenience.

    If you wanted, you could put your Amptweaker in the preamp loop of the F-1 - that way when you disengage the F1, it switches to the Amptweaker (basically the functionality of an A/B looper built in).
    That's exactly how I would use it (well, not before anything and replace the Bogner with the Amptweaker obvs). The F1 would be my clean channel as you say.

    I'd still rather just go into the amps input though rather than using it as a power amp so I wouldn't have to faff around rearranging my board mid-gig!
    See, I come at it from the other end - I'm tired of my requirements meaning I have a very limited choice of amps, so I've made a pedalboard which can do all that and I do just want to use my amp as a power amp.

    Incidentally, you could have the F1 at the end of the chain and bypassed (that's the other mode of operation), and when you need to switch you can just turn it on.
    <space for hire>
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