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moosers
Published on 12/31/09 at 10:19
The Crate GX30M is a solid state electric guitar amplifier with a single speaker. Like the name states, it delivers 30 watts of power and also contains effects like reverb, overdrive, and chorus. The amp has 1/4 inch connections in the front for your instrument as well as for headphones and for the foot switch that comes with it. The foot switch has two buttons on it.
UTILIZATION
The make up of the Crate GX30M isn't too hard to follow overall. The amp is broken up into a few sections - overdrive, clean, and chorus. The overdrive section has parameters for gain, shape, and level, while the clean section has knobs for level, low, mid, and high EQ. There is also a knob for reverb and a section for chorus that has parameters for depth and rate. Everything here is really self explanatory as there isn't anything out of the ordinary here. I've never seen a manual for this, but even if you have minimal experience with guitar amps I think you'll be able to figure out this amp on its own.
SOUNDS
The sound of the Crate GX30M is about average in terms of its clean sound, but the good part about the amp is that it is versatile. You've got the ability to get overdrive, clean, reverb, and chorus tones. I believe that the reverb is a real spring reverb, and is probably the best feature of the amp. I'm not a huge fan of the overdrive as it comes off a bit tinny for my taste, and the chorus is overall pretty cool sounding. While I wouldn't use this amp for recording, it is definitely suitable for live shows and for practicing. This is the perfect amp for those who are looking to experiment with effects but who don't want to spend the money on external effects.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, the Crate GX30M is a nice little amp. It definitely isn't the best sounding overall, but where it lacks in tone clarity it makes up in versatility. These are also very reasonably priced if you can find one used and they are no longer being made. I also believe that there are two slightly different looking versions of the amp, the earlier of which is the one that I have. I'd recommend the Crate GX30M for anyone looking for a cheap amp that isn't big and has the ability to get a variety of different tones inside the box...
UTILIZATION
The make up of the Crate GX30M isn't too hard to follow overall. The amp is broken up into a few sections - overdrive, clean, and chorus. The overdrive section has parameters for gain, shape, and level, while the clean section has knobs for level, low, mid, and high EQ. There is also a knob for reverb and a section for chorus that has parameters for depth and rate. Everything here is really self explanatory as there isn't anything out of the ordinary here. I've never seen a manual for this, but even if you have minimal experience with guitar amps I think you'll be able to figure out this amp on its own.
SOUNDS
The sound of the Crate GX30M is about average in terms of its clean sound, but the good part about the amp is that it is versatile. You've got the ability to get overdrive, clean, reverb, and chorus tones. I believe that the reverb is a real spring reverb, and is probably the best feature of the amp. I'm not a huge fan of the overdrive as it comes off a bit tinny for my taste, and the chorus is overall pretty cool sounding. While I wouldn't use this amp for recording, it is definitely suitable for live shows and for practicing. This is the perfect amp for those who are looking to experiment with effects but who don't want to spend the money on external effects.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall, the Crate GX30M is a nice little amp. It definitely isn't the best sounding overall, but where it lacks in tone clarity it makes up in versatility. These are also very reasonably priced if you can find one used and they are no longer being made. I also believe that there are two slightly different looking versions of the amp, the earlier of which is the one that I have. I'd recommend the Crate GX30M for anyone looking for a cheap amp that isn't big and has the ability to get a variety of different tones inside the box...