garnermike

I have played over 300 gigs since August 2011 with my SK1, packing it in this Gator bag: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GKB49/ Yes, I know it's a 49-key bag, but the SK1's 69-keys fits perfectly. And nary a scratch to date.

Mate Can't speak for this new CPS unit, but my Fender/GrooveTubes-made unit is unbelievably loud. I've never gone over midpoint on volume. The mid and high frequencies cut through things like no other kb amp I've ever played through with generally similar wattage rating (about a dozen different brands) Mine's rated at 100w. Here's the specs on the older version that I have (scroll down on the page): http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SFXSSmkII

Mate What Mike said. I've tried several set-ups with my SK1, including: 1. using two Traynor K1s set up in their so-called stereo linking arrangement; 2. two Motion Sound KT-80s, one for left out and the other for right out; and 3. the SpaceStation, with the subwoofer line out (for more bottom end) to either the Traynor K1, the MS KT-80, or a small bass amp. My room-filling and rotary effect sound with the SpaceStation is vastly better.

The background (my understanding only, and I apologize if y'all know this or if someone's already posted on it): GrooveTubes developed their SFX technology for keyboard stereo amping, selling the SFX 100 and SpaceStation products. Then Fender bought out their technology, using it in their SFX acoustasonic guitar amps, but not doing anything keyboard amp-wise----except when, in a special deal with sweetwater.com back in 2010, they sold off a last supply of 100 SpaceStations. I bought one of those, and it's been a great keyboard amp, especially loud and very effective in delivering rotary effects. Small, 35 pounds, and built to last (I have used it in over 350 gigs, and it's never had a single issue). If you do a search on the KBC, you'll see I'm not alone in liking it. To the point: I opened my new sweetwater.com catalog, and low and behold, a new company called Center Point Stereo (centerpointstereo.com) is now selling a updated SpaceStation version through sweetwater.com. It looks identical to what I own, although it has a few more tweeking dials. I went to that company's website and the product's Fender pedigree is duly noted. I called Sweetwater, and they do not have these amps in yet, nor have their staff received their tech briefing on it yet. There is no product ad on their website yet, just in the paper catalog. The price is twice ($599) what I paid in 2010. I don't need another, but knowing what I now do about the amp (again if it's the same thing), I'd opine that it's well worth the price.

Yes, the Hammond EXP 50 is a great pedal with the SK1 in terms of feel and sensitivity. And it is built well. One issue, however. The connecting cable is very lightweight and thin---not what you'd expect to be attached to such heavy-duty pedal. I noticed this shortcoming right away after purchase. My cable, despite great care, crapped out after 150 gigs (happened right near where the cable enters the pedal box. I gerry-rigged a fix while waiting months for Hammond to send a replacement cable. Ultimately, Hammond did right by me and, as they did not get any new supply of cables from Japan, Hammond sent me a whole new pedal. It had the same thin cable when I got it, however, so I immediately wrapped about a 1-inch section of it (immediate to the pedal box) with some of that self-fusing electrical tape). Just trying to reinforce it and apply a little preventive voodoo.

Here are 4 tunes by my trio. That's me on the Hammond SK1 filling the middle, and also on bass, playing it lefthanded on a Roland E-09.

12 pounds for the FA-06.

Yes, SpaceStation MarkII (see at http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SFXSSmkII). I got one of the final hundred made, sold on clearance 3 years ago by Fender via sweetwater.com (after Fender bought out the GrooveTubes SFX technology). At 32 lbs and at 18"x11"x11", very compact, and compared to so many other keys amps, not heavy at all in my book. And VERY loud, with a great stereo separation effect. The stereo difference between playing through it (with woofer support) vs. playing through 2 separate amps (even playing through my 2 Traynor K1s using their stereo link function) is all in favor of the SpaceStation. Fender is, IMO, making a big mistake not making/marketing these amps to keyboardists.

Ya know, AnotherScott, I'm starting to believe you on that. At this past week's 3 gigs, I tweaked, and got very comfy with, the new Strymon Lex that I bought 3 weeks ago to be my SK1's rotary sim. Went back to using my stereo Groove Tubes SpaceMaster SFX as the main amp, linking its low-end out to the Motion Sound with its 12" woofer. And I just got more and more content with each tune played. I can do everything I need to do, and can get so very close to the quality and types of sound that I want to. Looking forward to getting back into it on Saturday!

My bad, Craig; that wasn't your opinion re: transposing bass. Ah, if only I was totally happy with the SK1! It's fast rotary sim doesn't cut it for me (too fast, and can;t slow it down enough. Have been through RT-20, then Vent. Now actually play it with the Strymon Lex and it's very good. And the SK1's layering of organ and harpsichord (w/o the harpsichord affected by rotary) is superb for reggae and for a stringy guitar effect on our rockabilly numbers.

My situation is quite different, Craig. And it's specific to me. I am 63, learned to play keys at age 52. No training; all by ear. Have no technique, can't play much of a solo. I learn a song's chords and a few flourishes around those and that's it. Need to be able to transpose liberally. Yet, I play in one of the most popular bands in North Carolina. 125 gigs a year. Reggae, rockabilly, R&B. Hear us at www.reverbnation.com/mikemickxer. It's a trio (guitar, drums, SK1 at my righthand and Roland E-09 at my left). I am holding down the middle and also the bass. Don't have enough hands or fingers to stop and make multi-button changes. You are wrong about transposing up or down affecting bass tonality. Believe me, I have played numerous boards at bass, and Casios and now the E-09 have bass patches that sound incredibly authentic and are not skewed by transposing. Hardly a gig goes by when a bass player doesn't come up to me and compliment me on the bass tone and playing.

So you're saying that, unless I learn to play a ton of songs in different keys, I'd have to program at length and remember program reggies for all of these tunes. As opposed to the SK1, Roland VR-760/700, and other boards, that very simply allow one to stay in a systemically-maintained key within a program reggie with a one-button push? Sorry, but any advantages of the VR-09 don't make up for that huge inconvenience. I'll stop whining about it here, but all I will say is that that attribute (and the rotary effect on layered sound) kept me away from keeping the VR-09 I bought.

Thx for sharing that about the Nord. Was only going by my scanning the manual.... I HATE not being able to slow down the SK1's FAST rotor speed below its "375" parameter. To me, it sounds like a harsh, unaligned washing machine. I can slow the FAST rotor speed down on a Roland or by using the Lex. In short, the SK1 has/does everything I want/need---EXCEPT for an acceptable (to me) FAST rotor speed control. Before going to the Lex, my workaround has been to use the SLOW rotor speed set at its highest (318) as my FAST rotor speed. Sounds pretty much just like I want it to, but doing that precludes me from using a foot pedal to switch back and forth between SLOW and FAST speeds. I've been criticized on this board for wanting something that is not part of the classic Hammond/Leslie sound, and hence not built into the SK1. I can understand that criticism, as I am not a Hammond sound purist like some others. And as I said, I know what I like, and am weird that way.

PITA. 90 tune repertoire, 50 of them played transposed. No thanks.....

Been a while since I've posted on this thread, and forgive me for recapping posts of many months ago. I was an early buyer of the VR-09. I had owned a VR-760 previously (loved it, but, loading-wise, could not deal with its size/weight), so although I have used an SK1 exclusively for two years now (238 gigs), I preferred the greater control I had with the rotary sim FAST speed on a Roland than I did with the SK1. I loved the VR-09 organ tone, and loved its size/weight. Given what and how I play with my band, however, I needed to play in transposed keys and be able to switch personally-tailored voices mid-song and remain in that transposed key. VR-09 could not do that. Secondarily, I needed to be able to limit the rotary effect to the base organ layer (without its dual voice also being "rotaried"). VR-09 could not do that either. I'll guess that there may have been work-arounds to these problems, but it always came down to being able to make quick, one-handed, 1 or 2 button-pushes-at-most changes mid-song, and the workarounds that were suggested/tried weren't that simple. I returned the VR-09. Short of Roland addressing these two pet peeves in an update or next-gen VR-09 or (lighter) next-gen VR-700, am still waiting for my "ideal" organ/keyboard to come to market. Yes, it looks like the Nord Electro 4D might do the trick, but "ideal" in my eyes also does not mean another $2K purchase. For what it's worth, I now used the Strymon Lex rotary pedal with the SK1. Found it more to my liking than the Ventilator, which I bought/tried/returned, and much better sounding at FAST rotary speed that the SK1's internal rotary sim. Yes, yes, I know. My needs/druthers/personal tastes on the SK1 and Lex vs. Vent rotary effects, and also on global transposing may strike many readers as weird. But that's just me, and I gotta follow my ear, the limitations on my keyboard playing abilities, and my band's needs.

Ok I now know the VR can respond transpose from a master contoller bd But only some. My casio cdp100 wont send transposed key info to the organ sect only.other sound are ok. My fantom fa76 sends trnsposed keys to all vr modes /sounds as expected. But of course I need to use the casio Hey, not me. I bought a VR-09. Ran it thru its paces, played two gigs with it. The non-master transpose issue is real, and, while there are "work-arounds" described on this thread, I tried them and they were balky and didn't fit my gigging situation. So as much as I liked much about the VR-09, I returned it.

Kevmo/HDA, There is a global transpose, it's just not in the menus it's right on the keyboard, (transpose button and the -/+), and once you transpose the key using the transpose button, it will maintain this transposed key and you can change from piano, to organ to synth sounds and back and forth a dozen times and it does not lose the transpose. The issue is that if/when you select a registration the VR-09 takes on whatever key the registration was saved in AND when you exit the registration it returns to normal 0 transposition. As far as I am concerned, this is working perfectly and it's exactly how I would design it myself. This is one of those design quandries for which there is no right answer... We want this easy transpose button on the control panel so we can change tuning on the fly, live. We also want the registrations to save unique transpose (for that song you just can't play in Ab or C#), but the question is what to do when you exit a registration.. should the VR-09 return to normal tuning or maintain the tuning that's in the registration? Personally, I like the way it works.. I could see myself creating a piano registration that's in a key I find difficult to play and then when I exit the registration I want to go right back to normal tuning, so I can carry on playing my other songs in normal tuning, and I think that's probably what most people want.. You really should be able to accomplish what you're trying to do with the transpose, either by NOT using the registrations and just using the stock sounds, or simply saving multiple registrations with the transpose you want.. and you have 100 available registrations.. that should get you through a gig! Much easier said than done, Craig. In my case, I need to be able to change specialized registration sounds, mid-song, very quickly, and not have the key change on me. I don't have time mid-song to push more buttons (I'm holding down the "fill" sound of my trio with my right hand on the upper keyboard --this would be the VR-09-- while dedicating my left hand to a second lower keyboard playing bass). And I don't want to be forced to use the "stock" sounds of the keyboard, or to have a whole bank of registrations programmed for each song I play. The VR-760 and VR-700 have master transpose, the SK1 has master transpose. The VR-09 does not, and, given my situation and needs, that was a deal-breaker.

What brenner13 said re: no master transposing....... And thanks, Craig, for starting this thread. The other 60+ page thread was getting too emotional, with too many subtexts to follow.

I've been quiet for a while on this thread. I was one of the first posters to buy a VR-09 and report on it. I still find it to be a very good value for the money, a keyboard that would certainly be found "giggable" by many KB players more talented and skilled than I am, and a decidedly light and easily loadable/transportable KB---important when one is 63 years old and has recurring lower back issues. I think its organ tones and rotary sim is unmatched by any other KB on the market for less than $1700. I think its APs and EPs are very decent. Its keybed is perfectly acceptable TO ME. But I admit here that I have returned it--not because it's inherently a bad product, but because it doesn't fit my skill set (which is admittedly pretty rudimentary) and my IMMEDIATE needs with my current band. First, I play lots of songs with straight drawbar organ tones, which the VR09 handled really well. I also play lots of songs that need layering keyboard sounds over a rotaried organ, which the VR-09 couldn't deal with (as it leslied those KB sounds sounds too, producing an awful effect. Big issue for me). Second, I play in transposed keys a lot, and I also switch registered personal sounds within individual songs. The VR-09's not allowing systemic transposing across registrations (it always returns to the key of C when switching user registrations) made life during the performance of a song an issue for me (I am playing left hand bass on a 2nd lower keyboard, and simply do not have time and/or enough hands to deal with more button pushing, mid-song). I didn't want to wait to see if Roland would ever fix these two things with updates, so I returned the VR-09 while I could still get my money back. All this said, I still say that Roland broke some important new ground with the VR-9 (a <$1000 KB with a great (IMO) drawbar'ed organ and leslie sim that weighed only 12 lbs.). I continue to use my SK1 as my main board, even though I truly hate its overly fast FAST rotary sound (so much so, that I use a Roland RT-20 rotary pedal with it). So, today, I have no back-up board that can cover things if the SK1 fritzes. I wait for one of the major KB makers to produce something similar to the VR-09, in its price range or less, and without the rotaried layering and transposed key change issues. I'll bet on Casio to do that.

Yes, have owned many Casio KBs over the last 12 years, WKs, CTKs, etc. I love the way the company is improving and competing in the KB market. But until they produce a unit that can have a simple input for a volume/expression pedal, and can produce a decent organ/rotary sim sound, it can't be in the clone discussion---IMHO.

In the end, you sorta came out where I did after gigging with it the first time. It's a giggable KB that has some nice aspects/features, is easy to set up and is easy on one's back weight-wise, and both my band mates (and I) preferred its sound to that of the SK1. I'll just add that I found its organ sounds to be superior to those of the SK1's (mainly because its fast rotary sim is more controllable/adjustable). And, like you, I won't hesitate to gig with it --- once I have my tailored registrations worked out, and once I learn its buttonry better.

I have owned several Casios, and it's clear to me that the company is making leaps and bounds improvements in their KB's compared to other KB makers. As an aside, I use a CTK-6000 (and before that used a CTK-5000) as my left-hand bass "ax" in my trio. Why? Because of a single factory pre-set bass patch that is phenomenal compared to every other KB makers'. I've had bass guitar players swoon about the deep low, smooth bass sounds that patch can produce. That said, if Casio's drawbar'ed models (CTK-7000, XW's, WK's) had as good a clone organ sound and rotary sim as the VR-09, I would own one of them and not have invested in the VR-09. But Casio is not there yet.......

I can't really give an authoritative answer---I so rarely use EPs. But to my inexperienced ear, the SK1's EPs are a bit better, but not by that much.

Buy a Yamaha FC7 ($38) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-FC7-Volume-Pedal-/190836634584?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item2c6ebff3d8 with the Ashby adapter ($20) http://music.ashbysolutions.com/misc.htm and you'll be good to go. It has that nice smooth, long throw you are looking for. Hey, thanks so much for this lead! I'll give it a try! Hey, thx again Delaware Dave for this suggestion. The Ashby adaptor and my Yamaha pedal came today. That Yamaha pedal is really well built, with very, very nice action and good gradation! Just a hair behind the control of my SK1 + EP-50 pedal set-up, but still really good. This is definitely the answer to the VR-09's (and VR-760's, VR-700's, I'll bet) volume pedal issue.

Owning an SK1, I totally agree with you, LX88, when you write "Personally I prefer the leslie sim on this ( from what limited time I spent) to what I recall hearing from the SK1. Ditto for the chorus vibrato."