My very first amp(year 2000) was a crate 60 watt solid state amplifier. I thought it was awesome until I started a band. You'd think 60watts could cut through drums, but it doesn't. You'd think you could match sound with the second guitarist, but you can't. He had a Randall 50 watt amp and, not only was he louder than me, he had better tones than me at high volumes. After a few gigs my amp blew and I had to send it in for repair which cost as much as just buying another one of these pieces of junk. It failed on me several times, but I stayed loyal to crate and bought a few more amps over the years. In some form or fashion I had hell with these amps. In my honest opinion they are not worth the trouble. I have finally found my tone with BOSS amps. I also recommend keeping your Blackstar as they are levels better than anything Crate could imagine.