Amp query

[Yukimajo]

First off I apologise if (and I'm sure it has) this has been asked a million times, but I need recommendations for a gigging amp. I am soon (hopefully!) going to be getting a Vox Continental 61 or a Nord Electro 5 or 6 D. I currently have a Roland KC110 stereo amp which is good but not enough sound for anything larger than a small room. I can't afford one of the larger KC stereo amps as they are stupid prices.

Do I need a stereo amp? I will be mainly using the Vox and Farfisa emulations on the board I end up with so would I really benefit from a stereo one?

Also I have heard that bass amps are a very good substitute as you can get more bang for your buck. Is this true, or an old wives tale?

Thanks

 

[Biggles]

I see what you mean a 200W KC is $670

I use a couple of Behringer powered speakers so something along these lines would give you more bang for bucks since a pair if 15” ones would be $500

I also have a Fender Rumble 100 that I use with my Bass guitar, its a terrific amp but a bit small for gigging so if you do go for a Bass amp then do go for something with a bit more power.

At Sweetwater the Rumble 200 is $500 and a Rumble 500 is $600, I assume that you are in the USA hence why I quote their prices.

I will connect mine up to my Korg keyboard tomorrow and report back.

 

[Yukimajo]

I see what you mean a 200W KC is $670

I use a couple of Behringer powered speakers so something along these lines would give you more bang for bucks since a pair if 15” ones would be $500

I also have a Fender Rumble 100 that I use with my Bass guitar, its a terrific amp but a bit small for gigging so if you do go for a Bass amp then do go for something with a bit more power.

At Sweetwater the Rumble 200 is $500 and a Rumble 500 is $600, I assume that you are in the USA hence why I quote their prices.

I will connect mine up to my Korg keyboard tomorrow and report back.

Thanks @Biggles for the response. I'm glad it's not just me then with the KC amps. They are very good and can be used as a PA, but not enough oomph.

I am actually based in the UK, but I have noticed the same price oddness on the Rumble range on GAK's website. Massive hike from 100 to 200 then barely any difference between the 200 and 500, weird, who would buy the 200 when they are that close?

I am thinking of the bass amp option because I am a bassist as well, so it would be nice to have the one amp, instead of two.

I look forward to hearing your report of your Korg into the Rumble.

The bass amp I was looking at is the Ashdown OriginAL 300W head and get a 12" cab to go with it.

 

[Biggles]

Well I have had a test play but first a bit of an explanation of my setup.

I have a Boss GT 100 multi effects pedal board and it is set up so the pre amp output goes to the receive on the Rumble 100 and the send from the Rumble goes to return on the GT100. I have a Gibson LP and Fender Jazz Bass and use this set-up for both.

On the Boss GT I selected a clean patch and played my Kross 2 through it, and as you can see on the settings the Rumble were neutral, whilst the pre amp on the Rumble is used with the clean patch it is just a pass through.

The sound out of the Rumble playing Organ, Strings and various Pianos programs, then I repeated with Combis where my left hand played a variety of combined Programs.

The Rumble produced a warm rich sound whatever Program or Combi I played and the high frequencies were bright and clear, which I expected as playing around the 18th fret of my Les Paul does give a great tone out of the Rumble.

So yeah, its well worth checking out at your music store. I will be interested to hear your thoughts on what you think.

 

[anotherscott]

Do I need a stereo amp? I will be mainly using the Vox and Farfisa emulations on the board I end up with so would I really benefit from a stereo one?

Vox and Farfisa were originally mono sounds, so stereo isn't really a factor. (It makes more difference for Hammond sounds, because stereo better reproduces the effect of their Leslie speakers.)

 

[b3keys]

First off I apologise if (and I'm sure it has) this has been asked a million times, but I need recommendations for a gigging amp. I am soon (hopefully!) going to be getting a Vox Continental 61 or a Nord Electro 5 or 6 D. I currently have a Roland KC110 stereo amp which is good but not enough sound for anything larger than a small room. I can't afford one of the larger KC stereo amps as they are stupid prices.

Do I need a stereo amp? I will be mainly using the Vox and Farfisa emulations on the board I end up with so would I really benefit from a stereo one?

Also I have heard that bass amps are a very good substitute as you can get more bang for your buck. Is this true, or an old wives tale?

Thanks

Yes, asked a million times.. with a million answers..... (and hers mine)... Forget Guitar amps (ESPECIALLY Bass amps). Go for a good ACTIVE (powered) Speaker (you want a FLAT frequency output, and all your effects are on the keybard, so why pay for all the extra "bells & whistles"?). PLUS, they are light weight as compared to pressboard instrument amps.
I run either the QSC K8 (really good but pricey) or the EV ZLX12P... (which is what I would recommend) You can pick one up for about $300 B'stock. IF your really limited on budget... you might try the "Headrush" FRFR... I heard them at NAMM and was quite impressed.
These are good for small or medium clubs (anything bigger your going to go through the mains anyway).... ANd Stereo IS nice.... Inotice t mainly on Leslie or Tremolo effects. (oh, and the NORD is more versatile, IF you play piano & B3 patches also)...

 

[paulmapp8306]

Another +1 for propper PA tops. The KC range was OK some years back - when PA tops of decent power cost the earth, but that is no longer true.

The KCs are not flat by a long way - which is what you really want these days.

Go check out some 10" and some 12" PA tops (to work out if you need the extra bass from the 12" or not) then check a few out in you prrice range. You dont need stereo - in the studio yes, for recording sometimes (mainly if your using stereo fx not for the core sound) but live, you neer get the benefits. send a stereo feed to a main PA if your using one, but for backline and monitoring mono is just fine.

The Yamaha DBR12 for instance is $500 and packs 800w. The DXR is $700 and packs 1100W. Either will sound a whole lot better than the KC amp - and there are other manufacturers to look at as well.

 

[Biggles]

+1 x2

Whilst I did run the Korg though my Bass amp and it did sound good I prefer the sound from my PA system, its mid range is brighter as is the top end.

 

[Yukimajo]

Thanks all for the suggestion of using a PA instead of a dedicated keyboard amp or Bass amp. Another side question then, I assume my bass would work fine through a PA, if I was to get say the Yamaha DBR12? I am limited for space, so don't want load of amps hanging around. If I can get a one stop shop I would very interested.

 

[Biggles]

Just plugged my Fender Jazz Bass into the mixer and played it through my Behringer PA and it sounded pretty good, not as good as the Rumble but as a compromise setup it would work for me.

The Yamaha PA you quote, if it is anything like the Stagepass 600 that I have heard then it should be a good system.

BTW
Why don’t you go to one of the larger music stores and have a listen to your options, I am in the UK and often suggest PMT as a store that has a fair amount of kit in display.

 

[Yukimajo]

Just plugged my Fender Jazz Bass into the mixer and played it through my Behringer PA and it sounded pretty good, not as good as the Rumble but as a compromise setup it would work for me.

The Yamaha PA you quote, if it is anything like the Stagepass 600 that I have heard then it should be a good system.

BTW
Why don’t you go to one of the larger music stores and have a listen to your options, I am in the UK and often suggest PMT as a store that has a fair amount of kit in display.

Thanks for the info. I am actually off the PMT in Bristol in a few weeks, so I will try it all out there. Hopefully.

 

[Fake Ghost Pirate]

I use a KC 550 amp for gigs with my metal band. It’s actually more powerful than I need, even for loud music.

 

[Yukimajo]

As I say the KC amps are great but it's a question of budget. The KC 550 is £619 whereas the Yamaha DBR 12 PA is only £379 and the sound on the Yamaha is flatter as well.

 

[paulmapp8306]

regards bass - going straight into a PA top will work - it will be very clean with no EQ though. Not ideal. BUT you dont need another amp, just a pre amp pedal to go through. Something like this: would do the trick.

Eden WTDI World Tour DI & Bass Preamp at Gear4music

Eden WTDI World Tour DI & Bass Preamp at Gear4music

www.gear4music.com

 

[Yukimajo]

Hi @paulmapp8306

Thanks for the heads up. It is beginning to look a lot like the Yamaha DBR 12 (or DXR12 if I'm feeling flush!) is going to be the way to go then. I'll see if PMT have a bass preamp pedal I can use in store.

 

[paulmapp8306]

PMT do stock a few - including that Eden (though more expensive). Its if they actually have any in the store your gong to. Give them a ring - explain why you need one (to try with the PA) and ask if they have one - or can get one in for your visit. There normally quite good.

Dont forget to try the 10" speakers as well - many prefer them, and if your one it will save a few £.

 

[anotherscott]

PA cabs are the way to go for the most neutral sound reproduction. If you're playing piano, that's definitely what you want. For some other sounds, neutral sound reproduction may not be paramount. You may prefer organ or EP through a tube amp, for example. In fact, that's so desirable, that it is common that keyboards have tube amp simulations in them, and organ/EP sounds often use them. But as with most simulations, they are generally not as good as the real thing. They are very convenient (most people don't want to carry around separate amps for their different sounds), but if the sounds you use don't need neutrality, an amp that provides a colored sound you like is a perfectly acceptable choice. If you're playing nothing but EPs and combo organs, a Fender Twin is arguably a great choice for an amp. So while conventional wisdom is "don't buy an amp, buy a PA speaker", it's not always the best answer. Just most of the time. ;-)

Related, bass sounds best through a bass amp. In fact, when I play left hand bass, I usually send my bass sound out to a bass amp, and all my other sounds out to a flat PA cab. A bass amp may or may not sound okay for your organ... it will almost certainly sound pretty bad for piano, if you care.

p.s. -- one cool thing about the Vox Continental is it that it actually has a kind of a tube built in. (Though a tube essentially in the preamp section doesn't entirely replace the experience of having tubes in both the preamp and amplifier sections of your signal path.)

 

[b3maniac]

Yamaha DXR10, 1100 watts , 131SPL, 32 pounds , $599 at you better musician supply. Don

 

[Yukimajo]

Yamaha DXR10, 1100 watts , 131SPL, 32 pounds , $599 at you better musician supply. Don

Thanks Don

It seems like the Yamaha is the general consensus here. I'll check it out.

 

[anotherscott]

Electro-Voice and QSC are other strong choices. Maybe Turbosound. Note that sometimes a keyboard won't be loud enough when run directly into a powered PA cabinet, and you'll benefit from inserting a (non-passive) mixer in between.