I bought one of those Crate Powerblock amps years ago, when they were in clearance and very cheap. I figured it would be a good backup. But I haven't really played it very much since I was always afraid of blowing my speakers - the Crate puts out 150W, and I didn't have any speakers that were rated for so much power. Well, a few months ago I decided I'd get a small used cab for a 12" speaker and a high-rated speaker that could take the power. I did a bit of research, and the Eminence Swamp Thing seemed to fit the bill - it's got a huge magnet, it's rated at 150W and high sensitivity (I forget now, but I think it's 102dB or so), meaning it'll be very loud. I ended up buying on eBay a black '80s KMD cab (a defunct amp company operated by Ovation) for like $50 or something, and then a Swamp Thang speaker for $60 (including shipping). Earlier today I installed the speaker in the cab, and plugged in the Crate as well as one of my reissue reverb units. I tell you - it's a GOOD sound. I'd bet you that most people here would not be able to tell it apart from even a vintage Showman in a blindfold test! It's a really nice combo, and very loud, too - probably comparable at least to a 40W Fender tube amp, though I don't think it's as loud as a Showman. (I've been very impressed with those Swamp Thang speakers, and put one in my Deluxe Reverb RI, as well.)

Anyway, I think all those added up, I've got about $300 in the amp and the cab - a hell of a deal! I'll be keeping this rig as a backup for sure. I might even keep it at our drummer's house and use it for practicing, or have our other guitarist use it. It's also amazingly portable, which is pretty damn nice.

Just thought I'd mention that there are some very affordable gear alternatives that can give you a fantastic surf sound. There's so much vintage Fender and high-priced boutigue lust around here that it's nice to bring us down to earth once in a while. (Not that there's anything wrong with vintage Fender and high-priced boutique - that'll still be my main gear!)

Ivan
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IvanP
I tell you - it's a GOOD sound. I'd bet you that most people here would not be able to tell it apart from even a vintage Showman in a blindfold test! It's a really nice combo, and very loud, too

Ah, and being who you are, you won't be ridiculed like those of us who have said it sounded good in the past I play my powerblock through a 1x12 with a vintage 30 (which is really rated at 60... ) and just make sure I don't push the volume. I figure I'm safe if I stay at deluxe reverb to bandmaster volume levels I'd be amazed if anyone who gave it a fair chance couldn't find a great sound in it thanks the "gain" knob. As I've said before, it's the best $99 amp I've ever seen

So the Vibe strat, a powerblock... Now we just need to find a legitimate cheap replacement for the reverb unit... Sadly owning both a holy grail and a reverb unit, I can report that the holy grail isn't it. It can sound good, but not like a tank.

zak
No personal experience with these things, but I looked into getting one as a "portable power amp" for use with my little single-6V6 amps. A friend of mine is a Mackie rep and he said he could get me one at about half of what they were being "blown out" at a couple of years back, but mentioned that the sheer amount of reliability issues were the main reason why they were discontinued. He said that there was a transistor that was used in the amp that was highly susceptible to failure when exposed to heat, which is exactly what would happen once the amp had been on for a while. I ended up spending the money on an expensive dinner instead.

The "cooling fin" design doesn't inspire me with confidence. But I don't push it hard, or long. I don't expect issues with my usage. And I have used it at a couple outdoor functions as a power amp, running an ipod through it. Pretty versatile right out the box.

i have 3 powerblocks love them, i also bought the speaker cabinet that come with them which works and sounds great these days the power blocks are my main amps and i have a fender black face twin and a fender deluxe so that say alot about the powerblocks, the powerblocks seem to pack more of a punch and it dosen't muddy up as much when i play loud as my other amps do.. it to bad they stopped making them

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Although the first one I had didn't work from new, I've had the replacement about 4 years now and had no problems apart from a crackling volume pot. I take it to every gig and it's saved my skin twice and the bassists once. It's also been used for all sorts of things: gigs where the gear has to be carried a long way (ie: ships), rehearsals, bass amp in my studio, monitor amp etc. As it's stereo I even use it to amplify my iPod through when I have a barbeque.

Having said that - I have looked inside it and although it's well made, it would be a real nightmare to repair if it did go wrong. It's very tight for space in that box and the board uses surface mount soldering.

I'd buy a spare if I could find one at a good price - I've really had my money's worth out of this one.

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Great to see other fans of the Powerblock around! It's good to know I haven't lost my mind - or my hearing - yet, well, completely, anyway!

Here's my Powerblock setup, along with my two other recent purchases ('95 MIJ Strat and a Vox DA5 practice amp - I guess I've been on a real inexpensive-gear-kick lately!):

Ivan
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I have one that I stuff in the back of a Twin Reverb loaded with a 15-inch speaker. It is a backup. I have hauled this thing to I guess about 60 gigs now. It adds only a tad more weight to an already obscene heavy amp, so I do not mind. I have never needed it until a practice recently.

I must say, I was not impressed. I suppose in an emergency I will be completely overjoyed that I have it. But, I dunno Ivan, you must be hearing something that I am not in this amp. It sounded fairly lifeless to me. Maybe I need to twiddle the knobs some more to find the sweet spot. Sounds like a Showman? Wow, I was not hearing this at all. I had better give this thing another shot and dial it in before I have a real breakdown.

SSIV

Ivan, I have to give you the benefit of the doubt here. I will return to this piece of gear and see what I can do with it.

I am sure your hearing is fine!

SSIV

Here are my settings:

Gain: 9 o'clock -1 o'clock - I use the gain control as the volume control
Treble: 1 o'clock
Mid: 1 o'clock
Bass: 2 o'clock
Volume: maximum

Keeping the volume at max allows you to use the gain control as the volume control on a normal non-master amp. The louder you want the amp, the more overdriven it'll get.

Hope that helps a bit.

Ivan
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here how i set mine you must remember that i'm using 13 flats on a jag or j-master and this seem to work well for me

gain about 4-5-6
treble 3
mid maximum
bass 6
vol maximum

i have found that it makes a big difference what kinda bottom you are using as well

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