Guitar Amp for Moog

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t5alan
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Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by t5alan » Wed Nov 09, 2022 1:32 am

Hello everyone. I hate for my first post to be a new topic but I looked around and couldn't find an answer so please forgive me.

Anyhow, I have a Sub Phatty, about 5 years old. I am completely a hobbyist so assume I know nothing. Previously I'd basically always used headphones or a digital connection when playing my Sub Phatty but I'm trying to build a real music setup and looking to get things a little nicer. So my question is: Are there any concerns about playing it through a Guitar Amp? I have a Marshall Valvestate 2000. I'm not super worried about perfect sound quality, I just want to be able to hear myself decently without headphones, but I don't want to damage the synth or the amp.

I'm paranoid about this stuff because once I asked a music store guy about an unrelated recording setup I was looking at and he was like "Oh, good you didn't do that because it probably would've fried the amp and/or your computer."

Any advice would help. Thanks!

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VCO
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by VCO » Thu Nov 10, 2022 1:39 am

I don’t have a little phatty,I have a moog voyager . The voyager has two audio outputs and it’s in stereo as well.
I have a sequential pro three that has two audio outputs and is in stereo as well. Some people may have a recording console or a mixing desk. Some may play live in a venue or not. Some may just play for themselves at home. Some may play other instruments as well such as guitar and have just a guitar amp or maybe they play guitar and bass and have both a guitar amp as well as a bass amp. I use a Roland kc500 stereo keyboard amp . I’m only using four channels right now although it has more channels. I’m running two synths into it. The voyager and the pro3. It’s I think 180 watts. Even has a mic input that’s shared with one channel. Those audio outs on the synths are line level. The audio inputs on the Roland kc500 keyboard amp are line level. Obviously the Roland keyboard amp is in stereo as well. I have two of them and you can link them together. Even if I use one keyboard amp it’s still in stereo. Each keyboard amp has a 15 inch speaker and a piezo I believe tweeter for the highs. This amp was designed for keyboards specifically. It’s speaker the 15 inch is the correct frequency response for the range of keyboard s like workstations , analog synths and even stage pianos, I can run my Yamaha cp300 stage piano through the Roland kc500 as well if I choose. A guitar amp is different it’s designed for a guitar. It has a different inpedence . It’s in mono though some people run two guitar amps in stereo but that’s something different . Can be done but not the usual application. They might do that if thier recording .
And they might mike the cabinet as well. But that’s completely a different thing so don’t even worry about it. A guitar amp is in mono, it might have two different channels like a fender twin that has a clean channel or the other channel with distortion. I have a Roland jack chorus it’s solid state and has two different channels. I don’t play guitar I bought it
To use for the jazz chorus and vibrato. It has two 12 inch speakers. So now that I’ve digressed I’ll clarify and be lucid.
Even if the moog phatty has one audio output I would run it into a keyboard amp because that’s the correct impedance and the correct frequency response plus the right amount of power to run say the 15 inch speaker and the tweeter.
It’s also clean , no distortion and in stereo. Has the proper equalization as well. Some people would run a synth like your into a bass amp. They usually have a 15 inch but could use something else. There are different configurations of speaker types for different reasons. But mostly they would use something like a 15 inch bass speaker. This would be safer sense it could handle the lows of a synth pretty well. My point is that synths have a wide frequency response and you want an amp that has a wide frequency response. You want a speaker that can produce low frequencies well and mid frequencies well and high frequencies well. A tall order. Most guitar amplifiers are very well suited for mid frequencies but not so much for high frequencies and low and sub sonic frequencies. It’s almost like my Roland keyboard amp is like a small PA. It does low frequencies mid frequencies and high frequencies well it’s stereo to boot. It fits like a glove. Hope that explains the difference. Back in the day like in the 70s there weren’t so many options for keyboards and synths and many synths were not in stereo. They might plug into a PA or even a bass amp or even a guitar amp. If you had a Minimoog modeled it only had one audio output. So people sometimes used guitar and bass amps although I would say your asking for trouble if you used a guitar amp and guitar amps haveRMS watts and peak power and also might have the ability to run another speaker cabinet and there’s that ohms law and impedance thing lol
It would be best to used amplification designed for synths hence the keyboard amp. Near fields like my Mackie hr824s
I believe that’s what they are old like me. Can handle the whole frequency response . Of many different sources of audio input and are not supposed to color the mix so you can really tell what your mixing. Hope this helps sorry if I digress but I use keyboard amps your mileage may very. Good luck take care.

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VCO
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by VCO » Thu Nov 10, 2022 1:51 am

Just don’t have your settings on your amp real loud or your synth and maybe turn off your distortion and try to run it clean this would help and be safer on your ears and speaker and amp. How do you get a loud guitarist to stop playing?
Put sheet music in front of him and ask him to read it.What’s the difference between a large pizza and a musician?
A large pizza can feed a family of four. Those are my two lame musician jokes. Take care

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VCO
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by VCO » Thu Nov 10, 2022 1:56 am

And I forgot welcome to the moog forum I believe thepeople here to be knowledgeable, friendly and passionate about synths and music and a very important resource. I just recently started posting I feel sorry for you all please accept my apologies lol.

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VCO
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by VCO » Thu Nov 10, 2022 2:10 am

Roland makes smaller keyboard amps than my kc500. My keyboard amps are old. They have keyboard amps now that even use twelve inch speakers dual I believe. They are quality and work well for playing out or even if you play just for yourself.if you end up getting more synths or keyboards they are already in stereo and can be linked together even have an input for a microphone. xLR connection that you can use as well.

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VCO
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by VCO » Thu Nov 10, 2022 3:48 pm

There’s the Roland kc 400, kc600,kc990 keyboard amps. They have increased the watts since I purchased them . All the different size keyboard amps they offer have increased in wattage and price LOL. Your synth would sound good through these. none of these amps are cheap but worth the money for the price and the sound quality and the build quality. Stay away from cheap keyboard amps they sound bad and are low build quality. Like a certain company that begins with B. You probably know who I’m taking about. It would be better to save and get a real keyboard amp then to get something cheap and sub par. Always buy the best musical instrument you can afford this goes for amps and other gear. It would be better to wait and get something good then to cut corners and be sorry later. I’ve made that mistake before and I’ve regretted it. You have a good synth now you need a proper keyboard amp. Just my opinion based off experience and prior mistakes.

MaxFerency
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by MaxFerency » Fri Nov 11, 2022 1:46 pm

I'll second the Roland KC apps. I've had one or 15 or 20 years that has worked and sounded great with my keyboards.
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VCO
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by VCO » Sun Nov 13, 2022 4:43 am

My amps are older. Roland doesn’t make my model anymore. They replaced my model with the kc600. I’ve never had a problem with mine was playing thru it tonight. They also have wheels and a headphone out they used to make a sub
Speaker that was active you could connect to your keyboard amp. I don’t know if they offer a sub or not now. Thier
Great to use because it addresses alot of keyboard players needs. Instead of having to use a small pa and deal with speakers and an amp if you have two Roland keyboard amps you can link them together and have access to multiple channels and you can run all your keyboards in stereo . When I would link two amps I would get 360 watts and have two 15 inch speakers and highs so it handled whatever I put thru it well. Very easy to use as well in a live venue. I think the newer models not sure which model may even have some effects also.when you link them one amp controls the other.

EricK
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by EricK » Mon Nov 14, 2022 3:42 pm

Welcome to the forum!
The KC-880 is awesome and stereo but it doesn't appear to have a lot of headroom. You might want to also consider an old Fender Bassman. They lack the oomph of modern bass amps but provide wonderful frequency response.

Eric
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VCO
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by VCO » Tue Nov 15, 2022 6:05 am

IIs this Roland keyboard amp the kc880 even available now in 2022?

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ummagumma
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by ummagumma » Tue Nov 15, 2022 6:49 am

Good chance you'll damage the speaker in a valvestate gtr amp by playing a sub phatty synth into it: gtr speakers usually don't handle low freqs very well. But if you keep the volume low you may be ok?

You could probably find a cheap used keyboard amp locally in the classifieds. I found an old Peavey for $20 that works great. 1x15 cab with tweeters & 4 inputs.

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VCO
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by VCO » Fri Nov 18, 2022 12:21 am

I had a peavy keyboard amp once sold it. Even had bought an alesis keyboard amp compared to the Roland’s I had it didn’t have very much power or gain. I sold it as well.

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ummagumma
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Re: Guitar Amp for Moog

Post by ummagumma » Fri Nov 18, 2022 2:44 am

No question Roland makes better keyboard monitors.

If this fellow just wants something inexpensive that will work better than his gtr amp, the Peavey is a good option.

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