Crate GFX-212

I purchased this amp from Musicians Friend for $419.

This amp is very powerful and has all digital sound so it is always crisp and clean. The Flex Wave 5 Preamp's have such bite. The cleans are perfect and the distortion is equally as good. The 2 twelve inch speakers and 120 Watts of power make this amp perfect for small to medium gigs. I also have a Crate GX 412 Cab that I run from the GFX 212, it is powerful enough to hook to a cab and still produce perfect sound

The distortion has slight feedback when turned up loud (like any amp) but since no one uses amp distortion anymore it is not a problem when you use a pedal.

The GFX 212 is one of the most durable amps I've ever seen. It is all digital so there is no bulky tube accessories lugging it down. It has all the procesors bolted to the top and a very rugged outer shell. Crate has a very good reputation for making strong, powerful, durable amps

The GFX 212 id so versital and it has everything one could ask for when looking for a medium to large amp. The clean channel is its best trail with perfect crisp clean tone (all digital)but the amp is not lacking in any aspect

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this amp at Dave Anderson's Zoo Music for $378.00

I bought the amp mostly because it was loud and cheap. In both of these areas it performed well, and the included footswitch is an added bonus. The digital effects are pretty cool, mostly the reverb and the chorus. As for the others, you have to play with the knobs for a long time to get them exactly where you want them, and when your'e on stage, this can be fustrating. Many people complain about the weight of the amp, but when you compare it to tube amps of the same size, it's really not that heavy. I would say it's a good affordable amp for the beginning guitarist.

While the overdrive channels perform their duty without any problems, I constantly found myself playing with the knobs on the clean channels. The GFX series claims to reproduce the sound of tube amps, but in the end, they are still solid state. Since I play on a lot of rhythm tracks, I need a good clean sound, but this amp repeatedly failed me when I needed it most. To me, the clean channel sounds like it's processed through a computer, almost like Brittany Spear's voice - it seems to lack warmth and depth.

I found no trouble in the quality of the amp. It has a strong, sturdy chassis and cabinet. The only real problem I had was in the footswitch. The LED for the effects loop mysteriously stopped working, with no apparent way of repairing it. While not a major concern, it annoyed me quite a bit.

Crate is a respectable name in the amplifier industry and this amp certainly has its place in the market. I think that place is for beginner guitarists with an appeal for rock and metal. The overdrive and effects are highly customizable, but i just can't deal with the problems of the clean channel. On the plus side it's CHEAP!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

well seeing i'm in the middle of the united arab emirates where music gear is overpriced and very limited, i got my gfx 212 for 1,800 uae dirhams (493.12 US$). it was worth it.

the sound: the amp has got the cleanest and smoothest sound i've ever herd, i never thought it would actually be possible to play every single genre of music with this up (even though they said i would, i thought it would be some type of lie.. i was very wrong) the 2 distortion modes would give me the perfect blues tone, to death metal distortion. SWEEEET!
the effect:reverb, delay, wah,flanger, chorus.. they're all very nicely made.

its too heavy, so when i carry it in my arms, my elbow area is all red and bruised, and when i use the "carry thing" on the top, my legs get cut up because the sides of the amp are too sharp.
and the ocatve down effect, i dont like its engineering, i would prefer an octave up, but then again, maybe i havnt mastered the ocatve pitcher yet.

very solid amp. me and my buds usualy go skating around th street, i always bring my amp along for the music. it was alot easier to just put the amp on the skateboard and push it, so i did, and seeing i was going down a slope, the board started rolling faster and got away from my grip ending at the bottom of the hill and crashing against the wall, i didnt know if warranty would apply, but i didnt need waranty... not one crash.

save, go to your nearest music dealer, and buy it..

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this unit at Guitar Center because it was a lot of amp for a good price ($420-no joke intended).

The amp is BIG and LOUD. When turned up this amp puts out huge tube-simulated sound through dual 12's with cutting distortion for pure rock & metal licks. It has a tracking module that allows you to specify individual effects on all three channels which can be changed by the dsp footswitch included. There's a regular effect channel and two levels of distortion which allow you to crank the level pretty easily in mid-song.

The problem with the unit is just the drawbacks of what makes it cool. It is loud and puts out tons of sound, however when its turned down the sound is muffled and the lows dominate the levels. Its difficult to get a real good sound from the distortion this way, so it makes a poor low level practice amp. And just like on amps with on board digitally simulated effects you compromise the quality of the effects sounds. So its really only good for the reverbs & chorus sounds whereas the wahs, delays, doublers, flanges and all of those can't be individually set to the time signature of the song so the end sounding off beat and cheesy often. You would really want to buy these effects seperately to get good sounds.

This amp is pretty burly which is to say it is heavy but its definitely durable.

This amp is good for playing small venue shows when your just getting started, but you would probably want a good practice space or a smaller practice amp to save the trouble of dealing with the neighbors.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com