Keyboard Amps

[daffsongwriter]

Hey:) I am looking at purchasing a 300 - 500 watt keyboard amp, seen a Roland on the net for around £200, its a 300 watt, I dont want to rush into anything as yet till I have done some research.This beast will be used on stage but at the mo just rehearsal stage, but I will need to get one at some point, so am preparing in advance.Any views from any of you guys on this subject. Thank you.Daff x.

[sgs4u]

d,I've used those (500 and 300 watt) lots. They're a little heavy, but I think they come with wheels as well. I think they're ideal for rehearsal spaces, small gigs. 2 of them in stereo together makes for a very decent live rig. I would be wary of a used one, because where I live, anything in rentals from a music store has been abused(sometimes by me). I don't think the horns in them are particularly bullet-proof. If you're going on a tour, find out who the stage techs are going to be, and work with them to find out what they think is best. They'll be the ones loading it, and you want them to be on your side by including their views and preferences. Most of the time, on big gigs, there is a monitor system with a mix dedicated to the keyboardist, so you might not need one for big gigs. A brand new one, would last you for decades, likely. Especially with a really good road case. If you have someone who can verify what kind of shape the used one is in before you buy it, then you're probably good to go. The Rolands don't work for me in loud situations, when I'm onstage beside a drummer, because they just don't go loud enough. (Yeah, I might have a little hearing loss by now.) I now gig with a small 500 watt PA, because I want to hear my keys in stereo, and because the high and low end response of a flat and full range system(and the extra EQ) is what I prefer to hear. I have generally found that the big manufacturers don't put a lot of thought into what a gigging keyboardist actually needs, to sound good in the middle of a band. They make these little combo amps, albeit with tons of power. It seems power and weight matters, but not sound quality so much. But the range of frequencies that most keyboards can produce are pretty much the same as all instuments combines. That's why I use a PA and a sub. Check out what Peavey makes (maybe one their pedal steel models could work well), Yorkville is great bang for the buck(pound) as well. Fender probably makes something decent, Yamaha as well. Using a Trace-Elliot bass amp (and cranking those tiny little horns) was a good choice for me for quite a while. SWR - I think they're called, also a great pound/power combinations. In really loud situations, I now prefer in-ears, and that's awesome. Hooking up some in-ears to your keyboard amp could also be ideal for you, and pretty cheap. Unless you have to sing, then you have to find a way to get your voice into your headphones as well.Decide what your priorities are: sound quality, portability, power, and find someone close to you to check some other amps at stores stuff out with ya. Maybe rent one of those Rolands first to check it out. sure hope this has helped,steve

[mazz]

Hi,I have both the 300 and 500 watt Rolands (one model generation ago). Both are good sounding, the 500 comes with wheels, the 300 does not. The 500 is very heavy but has good bottom end. They can be linked in stereo. A friend of mine had two 300s and could not get rid of a buzz when he linked them in stereo. Not sure what that was about, he tried everything.If you need to fill a large room, the 500 comes with stereo balanced outs to run to a PA mixer. The 300 has unbalanced outs, I usually run it through a DI box first if necessary.Whatever amp you choose, I strongly recommend an amp stand that angles the amp up at your ears. For years my knees and ankles enjoyed my playing because I was pointing the amp straight out. I had to crank up the volume just to hear myself and I'm sure it was too loud most of the time. The little fold up Ultimate stand will hold the 500 watt model just fine.As Steve recommended, if you can possibly try out a few different amps in a gig situation, that would be optimal.Good luck,Mazz

[sgs4u]

Mazz, I was sure you were going to jump in on this one, I don't know why, intuition I guess.

[mazz]

Quote:Mazz, I was sure you were going to jump in on this one, I don't know why, intuition I guess.We keyboardists just know things, don't we

[daffsongwriter]

Ha ha, thank you to both of you, you are both very helpful and you are right us keyboardists do just know things.I found the two speakers to my pa, I sometimes had a buzzing, I kept trying different things with them and in the end there was proved a problem with the pa itself and it is back at the manufacturers, I was lucky, it is still within its guaranty/warranty.So have you guys ever used a Wharfedalee amp at all. I know a dj whose speakers were wharfedale (think I have the name right), I haven't heard of it, stuck with marshal for my guitars. Also I understood that keyboard amps were keyboard amps, not normally used for other instruments.I have been advised to steer clear of Behringers, get a lot of spec for your money but the muso shop has had more of them back than the others for repair. The parts for Wharfedale are easier to come by in the UK as its British made I understand, where as the Behringer for example the parts come from Germany, am I right.Well at least I am not in a huge hurry for one and am finding out what I can eh.Daff xx

[mazz]

I've heard of Wharfedale but I don't know much about it. I would avoid Behringer for a critical piece of gear such as your amp, they can't take much of a pounding, in my experience. Not that you pound your gear, but all band gear takes a bit of a hit in and out of the van, etc.As far as keyboard amps being for just keyboards, that depends on what instrument you are putting through it. A full range keyboard amp can double as a PA in a pinch and I've used the KC500 Roland as a bass amp before and it worked great. I wouldn't play a guitar through a keyboard amp, especially an electric guitar.Conversely a PA speaker can be used as a keyboard amp. The self powered JBLs and Mackies would make killer keyboard amps. They just lack EQ and only have one or two inputs so you'd need a mixer if you have a lot of outputs to mix. I wouldn't go smaller than a 12 inch speaker. If you're relatively young and have a strong back (I remember the days) a 15 inch is always better. Good luck on your search.Mazz

[daffsongwriter]

Thanks, my keyboard tutor said the Wharfedale are good, I went to the music shop in Coventry and they were really helpful and after trying out different ones the Wharfedale 400 watt won. It is a 15 inch and the spec is really good. I havent as yet tried it on stage but the delivery man for that music shop was there when I bought it and said they are very good for keyboards, the parts are easily available also in the UK.My 80 Watt pa did work with the keyboard like you mentioned also, as it has 2 speakers but what I didnt want was to have to thrash it to be able to hear clearly, so this is why I invested in the beast I have. So far she seems great, I have named her Bess and she nearly broke me back getting her out the car lol. I am 39 years old and do have to watch my back a tad so I will get her some wheels for easy maneovre, plus the lads have already jumped in and said we'll help (they may change their minds when they feel how heavy she is). She weighs in at just under 5 stone and is the shape of a huge triangle peice of cheese!I now want a small mixer to enable me to plug me mic in to run through it also, if I can do that. Keyboard tutor said that should be ok. Another small exercise but again not an urgent one. I can use my pa for the mic at home but when we go rehearsals I dont really want to lug the whole lot if I dont need to. I would presume it will plug into the main pa.Daff xx

[mazz]

Quote: She weighs in at just under 5 stone and is the shape of a huge triangle peice of cheese!Daff xxI looked it up, a stone is 14 pounds so that hunk of cheddar is about 70 pounds (I'm an American Luddite, I only know pounds, thank God for Google )You could get by with a simple mixer. If it has seperate outputs you could run one to your amp and one to the PA so you could have a vocal monitor. The only other considerations for me would be phantom power (in case you need to connect condenser mics), and built in effects. Built in effects can sound pretty cheesy and noisy on inexpensive mixers so listen first before you buy.Happy Gigging!Mazz