I bought one years ago for $70. When I used to jam on it in my living room at low volumes through my 4x12 everybody always said it sounded like it was studio produced CD quality sound.
Crate got no love in the metal world. Only band I knew that used them was Cannibal Corpse for awhile. I have the Blue Voodoo120 head and 4X12 Crate Cab and have a most destructive tone with it. Now I want a solid state option and am gonna get me one of these bad boys for my Randall 4X12 Cab.
@@grave3hunna Yup, 2 bands total 😂 By the way, I do have the Excalibur head now and it is freaking massive like my bluevoodoo 120 head. Destructive tone.
i have one.....paired it with a 2x12 closed celestian cab ...absolutly love it ....and still has plenty of volumn for onstage use.......and the first stage distotion works real well with a ts808 tube screamer
i have had the excalibur gx2200h for like 12 years now, and that thing crushes out some ridiculous tone. i accidentally used the wrong foot switch on this 2 channel head, and when i tapped the nonexistent channel it partially fried some diodes, which makes it randomly switch from clean to dirty on very rare occassions. i still kick myself for that.
I have an Ampeg that would do the same thing...it's because the circuit board is cracked and it may not be worth fixing it if they don't make these heads anymore. Haven't been in the solid state game for a while so I'm not sure if they do or not. What did they say? If you got good news on it, then maybe my Ampeg can be saved as well...being as though these heads are basically modeled after the SS 150
I had one back in the day, always sounded great through a Marshal cab, but it had to the be a 1960 cab... I could be mistaken, but I think it's only at 2 ohm if you have a full stack hooked up, and then you are ok cause the ohm value would drop anyway... Btw this video does NOT do that head justice, very good solid state head for the $
aside from the hissiness id say it sounds very good for ss. gotta turn ur treb down just a tad and bring up ur mids if u want to clean it up. i think crates r notorious for the sizzle as my bv100h has the same issue but it slays and sounds almost better(as good) as my marshall and much better than my 5150 i had(its very much like 5150)
@@TuertoVision cool man, thanks for the quick reply. Would you recommend this amp? I like to play old-school thrash and death metal but I'm looking for something good for black metal too, I need something with a lot of gain and something to be heard over drums. I hear mixed things about this amp being really loud and not loud enough because I know it's only like 90W(?). I've found one for $150 (just the head) seems good and affordable. I'm also looking at a blackstar ht5r, I like this crate though because it's a solid state, but I also hear it can be picky depending on the cab and stuff. Honestly, if this guy replies to me and accepts my offer for this 6505+ 2x12 combo, I'll probably just get that even though I've never owned a tube amp but I guess I gotta start at some point. Anyway, sorry for rambling I'm just trying to get opinions so I can weigh out my options. Thanks again buddy 👍
@@JustAdude291 Hi!, i would not recommend for a gig, yes it has a loud hiss, i bought it just for experiment on recordings, i saw that Vogg (Decapitated) used it on the record Carnival is Forever, he mixed a Bogner/Diezel and this Crate Excalibur to shape the sound of his guitar on that record, so i want it to try it, i think the amp has a similar type of Pantera sound, but definitely is not for a gig, i think this will work for rehearsals or studio applications. for the sound you looking for, would be best a Peavey. You can't go wrong with a Peavey in my Opinion. Maybe a XXX, 5150, JSX. Best Regards, Joe.
@@TuertoVision haha reading back on this and I ended up getting a XXX and I'm still pretty happy. Only thing I gotta say is I don't like how it doesn't have reverb but oh well. I love the peavey's though, getting an XXL this weekend too. Gotta say though would still love an old crate head for fooling around on. I still like watching this vid from time to time. Take it easy man
@massiveshredder666 This thing still deserves the title. The Excalibur series is one of the best solid state metal amp lines. Quite a few death and black metal bands used the Excalibur and GX130 heads in the late 80, 90's and early 2000's
I'm actually gonna call Crate to see what they have to say. It sounds AMAZING when I turn it on and disregard the pop sound. Great solid state amp for sure. Just gotta solve this problem.
As much as it sounds strange to my conbo Crate GFX 120 DSP the reverb stop working, when the amb came in contact with much environmental humidity try to avoind a places like that to check the reaction of reverb
no I own one and my old guitarist owns one as well his reverb on channel b didn't work either I'm not sure what you can do about that but if you want a footswitch switch doctor actually makes a replacement for it that I prefer over the original it's an aluminum shell so it's more durable and does exactly what its suppose to check em out I think the model is cp-2 and cp-3 which I have the 3 so I can control the half channel switching as well
Because it runs at 2 ohms and I can't find a cab to run it through. I mean it can run through my Mesa but turning it on scared the hell outta me cause it does the speaker pop sound. I'm putting it aside till I find the right cab.
vikingwizardeyes2121 I've used a peavey 412 Ms cabinet with this head since buying it new in the mid 90s, in mono mode at 16 ohms on the cab and in stereo at 8 ohms on the cab where it's switchable, I may have gotten those ohms reversed but all I'm saying is it works fine with 8/16 ohm setups even though the head is at two ohms, that is if you still even have the head! Lol.
@StefanTheSerb not trying to kill ur buzz dude,,, but if you can find one and you haven't purchased this yet, go for a randall rh100,rh150, or rh300. ripping distortion! also, friend in my old band had a kg412 and pawned it because it kept farting out if you cranked it past 6.5 to 7. if you've already tried it and you're happy with it, disregard my message. but if you want high gain and a good cab, look elsewhere
I have the same amp, I play psychedelic rock on it so its not "straight metal". It has 2 channels 1 of which is clean and the second has 2 gains, non-distorted and distorted. It should come with a footswitch for channel A's 2 gains.
And in the time you took to post this judgemental comment, you could've have been practicing guitar yourself. Hey, at least the guy has the balls to post a video. Where's yours?
I bought one years ago for $70. When I used to jam on it in my living room at low volumes through my 4x12 everybody always said it sounded like it was studio produced CD quality sound.
Crate got no love in the metal world. Only band I knew that used them was Cannibal Corpse for awhile. I have the Blue Voodoo120 head and 4X12 Crate Cab and have a most destructive tone with it. Now I want a solid state option and am gonna get me one of these bad boys for my Randall 4X12 Cab.
@@7James77 devourment though
@@grave3hunna Yup, 2 bands total 😂 By the way, I do have the Excalibur head now and it is freaking massive like my bluevoodoo 120 head. Destructive tone.
@@7James77 fuck yeahh time to destroy some unsuspecting virgin ears
@@7James77 Actually, Marty Friendman used to use Crate :D
I believe Vogg from Decapitated used one of these, but I'm not sure. I just bought an Ampeg SS70 1x12 Combo and its got some killer gain.
I just ordered the GX2200H halfstack used from GC for 200 big ones!
For that one what cab were you running it on??
I have the GX2200h and it's great for my Scorpions! kicks BUTT have it hooked up to to Crate 4X12's...
i have one.....paired it with a 2x12 closed celestian cab ...absolutly love it ....and still has plenty of volumn for onstage use.......and the first stage distotion works real well with a ts808 tube screamer
Just snagged one for $99! It's being shipped and I am SO excited.
Wish an Excalibur could be bought for that price nowadays lol. 9 years later, how’s it doing?
@@krafgeetar4013 what do they go for now? I have one that I don't use and might try selling haha
@@Raigzz I’m seeing them going from $200- $400 right now but there’s not many. Depends on condition.
@@krafgeetar4013 I just bought a gx2200h for 500 bucks, they’re still the shit guitar amp company to everyone so prices are still low
Im hopefully getting one of these off carigslist for $100 tomorrow cant wait.
Oh if I could find one of these on the secondhand market now!
i have had the excalibur gx2200h for like 12 years now, and that thing crushes out some ridiculous tone. i accidentally used the wrong foot switch on this 2 channel head, and when i tapped the nonexistent channel it partially fried some diodes, which makes it randomly switch from clean to dirty on very rare occassions. i still kick myself for that.
Would this work good for that high gain late 80s hair metal sound. Kinda like CC Devilles solo tone on Open up and Say ahh?
If you turn have the gain at noon I think so
I'm getting this head with a Kustom KG412 4x12 cab. SO STOKED!!!
I have an Ampeg that would do the same thing...it's because the circuit board is cracked and it may not be worth fixing it if they don't make these heads anymore. Haven't been in the solid state game for a while so I'm not sure if they do or not. What did they say? If you got good news on it, then maybe my Ampeg can be saved as well...being as though these heads are basically modeled after the SS 150
This thing is fucking nuts and I’m finding out that they are super cheap. Found my next amp.
I had one back in the day, always sounded great through a Marshal cab, but it had to the be a 1960 cab... I could be mistaken, but I think it's only at 2 ohm if you have a full stack hooked up, and then you are ok cause the ohm value would drop anyway... Btw this video does NOT do that head justice, very good solid state head for the $
What cab are ya playin through?
aside from the hissiness id say it sounds very good for ss. gotta turn ur treb down just a tad and bring up ur mids if u want to clean it up. i think crates r notorious for the sizzle as my bv100h has the same issue but it slays and sounds almost better(as good) as my marshall and much better than my 5150 i had(its very much like 5150)
hey man, sounds killer. What kind of cab are you using? Any pedals?
I was using an Avatar cabinet. No pedals, just the Distortion of the amp.
@@TuertoVision cool man, thanks for the quick reply. Would you recommend this amp? I like to play old-school thrash and death metal but I'm looking for something good for black metal too, I need something with a lot of gain and something to be heard over drums. I hear mixed things about this amp being really loud and not loud enough because I know it's only like 90W(?). I've found one for $150 (just the head) seems good and affordable. I'm also looking at a blackstar ht5r, I like this crate though because it's a solid state, but I also hear it can be picky depending on the cab and stuff. Honestly, if this guy replies to me and accepts my offer for this 6505+ 2x12 combo, I'll probably just get that even though I've never owned a tube amp but I guess I gotta start at some point. Anyway, sorry for rambling I'm just trying to get opinions so I can weigh out my options. Thanks again buddy 👍
@@JustAdude291 Hi!, i would not recommend for a gig, yes it has a loud hiss, i bought it just for experiment on recordings, i saw that Vogg (Decapitated) used it on the record Carnival is Forever, he mixed a Bogner/Diezel and this Crate Excalibur to shape the sound of his guitar on that record, so i want it to try it, i think the amp has a similar type of Pantera sound, but definitely is not for a gig, i think this will work for rehearsals or studio applications. for the sound you looking for, would be best a Peavey. You can't go wrong with a Peavey in my Opinion. Maybe a XXX, 5150, JSX.
Best Regards, Joe.
@@TuertoVision haha reading back on this and I ended up getting a XXX and I'm still pretty happy. Only thing I gotta say is I don't like how it doesn't have reverb but oh well. I love the peavey's though, getting an XXL this weekend too. Gotta say though would still love an old crate head for fooling around on. I still like watching this vid from time to time. Take it easy man
Solid State POWAH \m/
That looks like a marshall
Question. I don't know anything about amps.
I have a gfx 1200h
But I spotted an Excalibur gx2200h.
Should I?
Is it more powerful?
i haven't tried that one
Yes get it. It’s the gx900 but it has 220w. It’s unbelievably loud and sounds great.
@zbljk noup... pure solid state distortion.
Decent sound for a solid state,......but I've never seen a used one that was sold with the foot switch
Just picked one up with footswitch for $89! Looks like it’s barely been played through.
@massiveshredder666
This thing still deserves the title. The Excalibur series is one of the best solid state metal amp lines. Quite a few death and black metal bands used the Excalibur and GX130 heads in the late 80, 90's and early 2000's
I'm actually gonna call Crate to see what they have to say. It sounds AMAZING when I turn it on and disregard the pop sound. Great solid state amp for sure. Just gotta solve this problem.
I Have This Head But What Crate Cabinet should i get for it i want a match but its hard to find one
I have one of these head, but the reverb is not functionally :/ Help me!!! I don't have the footswitch, maybe that is the problem???
Are you sure man? I really needs the reverb :/ anyway, Thanks man
As much as it sounds strange to my conbo Crate GFX 120 DSP the reverb stop working, when the amb came in contact with much environmental humidity try to avoind a places like that to check the reaction of reverb
The spring itself inside the head could be broken.
no I own one and my old guitarist owns one as well his reverb on channel b didn't work either I'm not sure what you can do about that but if you want a footswitch switch doctor actually makes a replacement for it that I prefer over the original it's an aluminum shell so it's more durable and does exactly what its suppose to check em out I think the model is cp-2 and cp-3 which I have the 3 so I can control the half channel switching as well
+Pat Orlowski and yep that's your solution most likely
I'm actually trying to sell this same head right now with a Rocktron Hush Super C for $175.
is the distortion from the amp or something else
From the Amp
Yeah ! Thrash shreD !
Because it runs at 2 ohms and I can't find a cab to run it through. I mean it can run through my Mesa but turning it on scared the hell outta me cause it does the speaker pop sound. I'm putting it aside till I find the right cab.
vikingwizardeyes2121 I've used a peavey 412 Ms cabinet with this head since buying it new in the mid 90s, in mono mode at 16 ohms on the cab and in stereo at 8 ohms on the cab where it's switchable, I may have gotten those ohms reversed but all I'm saying is it works fine with 8/16 ohm setups even though the head is at two ohms, that is if you still even have the head! Lol.
I'm using a crate gt212 head/cab combo as my second set and have this head running on top of it. Its orgasmic to my ears
@StefanTheSerb not trying to kill ur buzz dude,,, but if you can find one and you haven't purchased this yet, go for a randall rh100,rh150, or rh300. ripping distortion! also, friend in my old band had a kg412 and pawned it because it kept farting out if you cranked it past 6.5 to 7. if you've already tried it and you're happy with it, disregard my message. but if you want high gain and a good cab, look elsewhere
Full tubes, I asume?
god no
I have the same amp, I play psychedelic rock on it so its not "straight metal". It has 2 channels 1 of which is clean and the second has 2 gains, non-distorted and distorted. It should come with a footswitch for channel A's 2 gains.
sounds very nice but which idiot named an solid state amp after the mighty excalibur?! When im thinking bout excalibur i see an brutal tube head :-)
you should turn off the distortion and learn to play first
And in the time you took to post this judgemental comment, you could've have been practicing guitar yourself. Hey, at least the guy has the balls to post a video. Where's yours?
Still no video of your self playing better Tim Randall??..not surprising keyboard commando.
@@DC33879 FUCKING THANK YOUUUUUUUUU I HATE PEOPLE THAT ARE IGNORANT LIKE THAT
Brandon Boe the clowns that talk this kind of trash never post anything of them plAying or even a picture of themselves