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Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 11:50 am
by ricknboogie
I like the Roland KC 350 alot, which is handy for its 4 chan mixer, but many times, I'll use a Mesa M3 Carbine bass head through a variety of bass cabs instead. Favorite so far, as a persoanl monitor, is the M3 through an Aguilar DB210. Fairly small, but plenty of volume, and handles the full frequency spectrum of my synths.

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:04 pm
by aen
Really happy with a super-powered GK bass head and an Ampeg 8x10.

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:38 pm
by jonalexher
awesome post, I was looking for something just like this
I'm a guitar player and keyboard player and just recently got my first synth (little phatty) are there any cheap but nice sounding bass amps that will get the job done for the phatty? or should I go for a keyboard amp instead? what is the difference?

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:44 pm
by GovernorSilver
jonalexher wrote:awesome post, I was looking for something just like this
I'm a guitar player and keyboard player and just recently got my first synth (little phatty) are there any cheap but nice sounding bass amps that will get the job done for the phatty? or should I go for a keyboard amp instead? what is the difference?
In the "cheap-but-nice" bass amp category, a lot of people use Markbass amps. Some also get by with a used Roland JC-120 - it's a guitar amp, but will survive anything you plug into it (bass, keyboards).

The main difference between keyboard amps and bass amps is that most keyboard amps are basically powered PA speakers (no preamp) - except quality is inferior as some would argue - while bass amps also include a preamp for bass guitars and upright bass pickups - these preamps are voiced specifically for bass. Some bass amps put tubes in the preamp, and the more expensive (and heavier!) ones use tubes in the power section as well.

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:13 pm
by MC
I know a keyboard player who uses the newer Fender Bassman for keys, the 2x10 combo. Sounded good.

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:11 pm
by filtered
Wow! I guess I'm the only guy here that somehow sounds good in a live setting, using a Fender Twin guitar amp- Maybe my Moog is some bizarre guitar amp setup one-off? :roll:
Haha- Anyway, I play in bands with bassists, so never need to fill that role- Maybe if I tried, I might blow up my rig, but with the wattage of a Twin, it hasn't happened yet, and I have done some filter sweeps that shake the bar glasses-
Take everything on here with a shaker of salt- I've had countless people compliment my sound, I'm on top of the mix, and my Moog sounds like a Moog, so what the fluck else would I be aiming for?

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:23 pm
by GovernorSilver
filtered wrote:Wow! I guess I'm the only guy here that somehow sounds good in a live setting, using a Fender Twin guitar amp- Maybe my Moog is some bizarre guitar amp setup one-off? :roll:
Haha- Anyway, I play in bands with bassists, so never need to fill that role- Maybe if I tried, I might blow up my rig, but with the wattage of a Twin, it hasn't happened yet, and I have done some filter sweeps that shake the bar glasses-
Take everything on here with a shaker of salt- I've had countless people compliment my sound, I'm on top of the mix, and my Moog sounds like a Moog, so what the fluck else would I be aiming for?
That's why you haven't blown up your Twin yet. 8)

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:09 pm
by monsterjazzlicks
thealien666 wrote:I've played my Voyager Old School (back when I had it) through a pair of Mackie SRM-450, and the result was impressive, to say the least ! Covered the whole range of the instrument.
i have a pair of Mackie SRM-350 (so the model down fom yours). Do you think a Moog would be ok thru these ??

Ta,

Paul

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 8:52 pm
by thealien666
I couldn't say, since I've never tried those... But I guess they should be okay. Although I've read that there was sometimes big differences in sound between different models of those...

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 10:20 am
by monsterjazzlicks
thealien666 wrote:Although I've read that there was sometimes big differences in sound between different models of those...
Double the price is one of the differences !! lol

Re: 'Keyboard Amps'

Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 1:26 pm
by Ryan Lubinsky
i use a pair of roland kc-550 in stereo. i pretty much use them as my main PA system . i run every thing into my studiolive then into the kc550s. i also use my JC120 witch works great for live situations and sometimes i will use a vox ac15 to give me that tube warmth and distortion. the ac15 is more of a studio option b/c it cant keep up with a live drummer with out cranking it all the way up and then your stuck with all that breakup / distortion.