Good affordable Amp?

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sixsinisters
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Good affordable Amp?

Post by sixsinisters » Wed May 06, 2009 7:27 pm

Hi, i'm a newbie to synth world .. been looking around for good amp (new/used) under $500 (preferably under $400) for home and small venue gigs .. what's your suggestions? I've heard the behringer's, roland's has some reliability and sound issues .. i wanna go at least 12" driver.
What do you think of the bulky sumo 300 and peavey KB 100?

Thanks guys!
Last edited by sixsinisters on Fri May 15, 2009 11:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

batdown
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Post by batdown » Thu May 07, 2009 12:55 am

I have the sumo and I am very happy with it. Bright, clean tone and it's loud enough to play any size club. Very affordable, too! I recommend it.

sixsinisters
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Post by sixsinisters » Thu May 07, 2009 1:25 am

Thanks, unfortunately the sumo was sold already :-( ..any opinion on the peavey kb-4? someone's selling it for $200 here .. or any other ones?

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Voltor07
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Post by Voltor07 » Fri May 08, 2009 10:12 pm

I have a KB/A-60, which is the grandfather of the KB-3. Great amp! The KB-4 is almost overkill, but it's a great amp from what I've heard.
Minitaur, CP-251, EHX #1 Echo, EHX Space Drums/Crash Pads, QSC GX-3, Pyramid stereo power amp, Miracle Pianos, Walking Stick ribbon controller, Synthutron.com, 1983 Hammond organ, dot com modular.

darkartois
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Post by darkartois » Sat May 09, 2009 2:04 am

stay clear of any behringer products. they won't last and shoddy build quality
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nikola
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Post by nikola » Sat May 09, 2009 3:32 am

darkartois wrote:stay clear of any behringer products. they won't last and shoddy build quality
true! i use to buy behringer, but not anymore! and this equipment is dead already :(

CTRLSHFT
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Post by CTRLSHFT » Sat May 09, 2009 2:27 pm

darkartois wrote:stay clear of any behringer products. they won't last and shoddy build quality
while i agree on pretty much everything of theirs being kinda crummy, their patchbay works great for cv patching, and their 8 channel DI is really handy for live use, haven't had any issues with either of those items and have used their stuff for several years.

that said, their mixers are awful and should be avoided at all costs pretty much. you can get a mackie vlz series mixer for not much more and save some trouble if you're low on $$$.
www.ctrlshft.com

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DeFrag
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Post by DeFrag » Sat May 09, 2009 10:17 pm

Behringer/Bugera is trash. I will NEVER buy & recommend you spend your hard-earned money more wisely; think Yugo.

I had a friend who went through 2 amps & a mixer that were fixed a couple times each before finally going tits up.

My son was interested in Bugera so we went to a shop & I found they use potentiometer shafts made of plastic.. not just any plastic but they had all the strength of a drinking straw! You could literally twist the knob from -4 to +14 compared to 0-10. What a piece of junk... I'm quite sure the rest of the components were the same. The "case" was ok though :?

Additionally, have you guys seen this article where Behringer uses 3 yellow LEDs to "light" their tubes? OMFG. sad. keep your money.

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sixsinisters
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Post by sixsinisters » Sat May 09, 2009 10:23 pm

Yeah i thought so about the behringer ..

But i ended up got a great deal (or maybe not?) on used KB4 for $175 including tax from a music shop around my area as it was on clearance used inventory.

Is that a good deal? It was way bigger that i thought, but hell .. i'm gonna be able to blow some ears later, lol.

It says about $530 something on the tag for new. It's really in a good condition, sounds perfect (for me) only has some dusts and the skin between the casters messed up a little bit i think it's because of it's low profile construction .. so messed up while dragging it.
I think i'm gonna get wedge aluminum plate and drill it to the edge on the bottom so it won't have any prob while i drag it on uneven surface.

True .. it's overkill! .. so much power it produces! .. but i'm planning to use it fir gig anyway .. since i have krk monitors for home use.
Anyway .. i really really love the sound of kb4 ..

nikola
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Post by nikola » Sun May 10, 2009 2:11 am

[quote="sixsinisters"
But i ended up got a great deal (or maybe not?) on used KB4 for $175
[/quote]

i use the same amp for two years now. i use it with my LP and juno 60. never had any problems.

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Post by ColorForm2113 » Sun May 10, 2009 10:22 am

As a guitarist I was never fond of peavey but I was surprised when I used the keyboard amp, I have a kb100 and absolutely love it. It has some loose wiring issues that need some attention soon but it sounds huge and has spring reverb.
My modular so far: Q104, Q106 x2, Q107, Q108, Q109 x2 , Q116, Q118, Q127 w/Q140, Q130, STG Wave Folder, Mixer and Mankato playing with Moog Voyager, VX-351, CP-251, MF-104M x2 ( STEREO!) Volca Beats and Bass, Arturia Beat step

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Voltor07
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Post by Voltor07 » Sun May 10, 2009 12:30 pm

I always recommend Peavey for keyboard amps. They are truly amazing. The KB 4 is a beast, but $175 for it can't be beat. :shock: My 1983 KB/A 60 was $99, so you got an even better deal than me! 8)
Minitaur, CP-251, EHX #1 Echo, EHX Space Drums/Crash Pads, QSC GX-3, Pyramid stereo power amp, Miracle Pianos, Walking Stick ribbon controller, Synthutron.com, 1983 Hammond organ, dot com modular.

sixsinisters
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Post by sixsinisters » Sun May 10, 2009 4:44 pm

ColorForm2113 wrote:As a guitarist I was never fond of peavey but I was surprised when I used the keyboard amp, I have a kb100 and absolutely love it. It has some loose wiring issues that need some attention soon but it sounds huge and has spring reverb.
That is so true, i am a guitarist myself and always hated Peavey guitar amps, but when it comes to keyboard amps .. seemed like the list is shrinking to peavey, roland and treynor .. glad i tried it .. sounds really clear and bright for my LP and my ION. And i also like those sensitive EQ knobs which are effective even with a slight turn.

sixsinisters
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Post by sixsinisters » Sun May 10, 2009 4:47 pm

Voltor07 wrote:I always recommend Peavey for keyboard amps. They are truly amazing. The KB 4 is a beast, but $175 for it can't be beat. :shock: My 1983 KB/A 60 was $99, so you got an even better deal than me! 8)
:D Hehe thought i did have a good deal .. He was first asking for $200, but after he saw the scuffed skin on the bottom he went it down.

Hey Voltor07, anyway how's the m-audio uno works? so we just plug it to LP and usb port that's it? what program do you use?

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Voltor07
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Post by Voltor07 » Sun May 10, 2009 6:20 pm

sixsinisters wrote: Hey Voltor07, anyway how's the m-audio uno works? so we just plug it to LP and usb port that's it? what program do you use?
The M-Audio UNO's USB end goes to your computer. The MIDI connectors are labeled nicely, and plug in to the MIDI In and Out of the LP. A standard USB cable works fine for saving patches, but the UNO is needed to update the OS of the LP. As far as what program I use, SysEx Librarian for Mac. If you are running Windows,(poor guy) :wink: you'll need MIDI OX or an equivalent program.
Minitaur, CP-251, EHX #1 Echo, EHX Space Drums/Crash Pads, QSC GX-3, Pyramid stereo power amp, Miracle Pianos, Walking Stick ribbon controller, Synthutron.com, 1983 Hammond organ, dot com modular.

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