Moog Music Forum

Hi everybody, I'm about to get a Grandmother (my first analog synth) and I'm thinking about an amplification system to use it. For a matter of space I'd rather avoid PA and my first idea was to play it with my combo bass amplifier which is a 30W Peavey. I'd like to ask you: if I'll do as I said, will I get some issues like damages to the amplifier or an incorrect sound reproduction? Or will it be ok?
Any advice is more than appreciated,
Thanks so much,

Oz

I've been playing mine through a 70s Princeton Reverb as well as a Roland Jazz Chorus. The Grandmother is pretty loud so I find that I don't need much volume on either amp. I've also noticed it's important to be mindful of the bass eq knobs as the Grandmother can produce some powerful low end. Besides that, I love how the Grandmother sounds through an amp!

Oz32 wrote:Hi everybody, I'm about to get a Grandmother (my first analog synth) and I'm thinking about an amplification system to use it. For a matter of space I'd rather avoid PA and my first idea was to play it with my combo bass amplifier which is a 30W Peavey. I'd like to ask you: if I'll do as I said, will I get some issues like damages to the amplifier or an incorrect sound reproduction? Or will it be ok?
Any advice is more than appreciated,
Thanks so much,

Oz

I suspect a bass amp may be better for a GM than a guitar amp, as the bass sounds from the Moog would be well beyond what a gtr amp is usually designed for

and the speaker especially would be designed to handle extended lows. I would never play a synth ( or a bass! ) loudly through a guitar speaker, as you could potentially damage it, and the sound might not be very good either

A good powered speaker is lighter and easier to move around than a guitar/bass amp and should give you better dynamic range. Right now I’m using a Mackie Thump 12” and it’s pretty great, especially for the price. The 15” might reproduce more bass though.

black_label wrote:A good powered speaker is lighter and easier to move around than a guitar/bass amp and should give you better dynamic range. Right now I’m using a Mackie Thump 12” and it’s pretty great, especially for the price. The 15” might reproduce more bass though.

+1 for the powered speaker recommendation. I'm using a QSC K12 and the sound is fabulous. The only downside is that it's heavy. The newer K12.2 is supposed to be lighter and offer more connection options, so consider that if you decide to go the powered speaker route.

This one does the trick:-)