High Quality Keyboard Amp

[timwat]

Do you just bring a speaker and put it on the ground next to you and run a cable from your keyboard into the speaker or...

 

Do you set up 2 speakers on tripods and run your keyboard to a mixer to the stereo pair?

 

TIA!

 

Smaller powered PA speakers are generally designed to be used from an elevated position and project horizontally (or, angled from a horizontal axis); most aren't intended to sit on the ground and throw sound at your kneecaps.

 

I find mine sound better on poles, but I didn't want to put them up on normal tall PA poles. Upon Dave Ferris' recommendation, I use the short Yorkville SKS02B, at the non-extended 27" height. They sound great that way, and the poles are pretty inexpensive.

 

Yorkville SKS02B, at a popular online retailer

 

Whether you use a mixer or not depends on the PA speaker, the output of your keyboard, and if you want the added features a mixer offers. I run my rigs both ways depending on need. Small jazz casuals I run the CP4 directly into the speaker; large, multi-board electronic gigs require a small mixer like my Key Largo.

[3rdAct]

Do you just bring a speaker and put it on the ground next to you and run a cable from your keyboard into the speaker

Yes. The 8.2 is designed so that it can also be used as a monitor wedge (I believe the K8 is not designed that way)

[3rdAct]

Do you just bring a speaker and put it on the ground next to you and run a cable from your keyboard into the speaker or...

 

Do you set up 2 speakers on tripods and run your keyboard to a mixer to the stereo pair?

 

TIA!

 

Smaller powered PA speakers are generally designed to be used from an elevated position and project horizontally (or, angled from a horizontal axis); most aren't intended to sit on the ground and throw sound at your kneecaps.

 

I find mine sound better on poles, but I didn't want to put them up on normal tall PA poles. Upon Dave Ferris' recommendation, I use the short Yorkville SKS02B, at the non-extended 27" height. They sound great that way, and the poles are pretty inexpensive.

 

Yorkville SKS02B, at a popular online retailer

 

Whether you use a mixer or not depends on the PA speaker, the output of your keyboard, and if you want the added features a mixer offers. I run my rigs both ways depending on need. Small jazz casuals I run the CP4 directly into the speaker; large, multi-board electronic gigs require a small mixer like my Key Largo.

 

So at practice, using the 8.2 as a wedge works pretty well. But if I need to project into a small venue, then I use it upright and elevated.

[The Real MC]

After one song with lots of AP, the guitar player, decent guy, says Joe, the piano sounds great through that amp. Why dont you use it all the time. I was so shocked I couldnt respond. I can only guess that his assessment was based on his familiarity with the type of sound he gets for his guitar, ignoring that this should sound like a piano! Quite disheartening...

I think that's exactly correct. Guitar players want a distorted sound that emphasizes the fundamental and maybe some close harmonics (maybe not), and none of the subtle other harmonics. They want a very electric sound and think that all amplified instruments should sound like that. The closer your AP sound is to an electric sound, the more the guitar player likes it. You, on the other hand, want it to sound like a real piano and are horrified at the crappy sound coming out of the amp.

 

Er, no. Distorted sounds emphasize the HARMONICS which are hardly subtle.

 

Few guitar styles are heavy on the fundamental. They would include acoustic guitar and jazz guitar. Jazz guitar does use some distortion but not as heavy as blues, rock, modern, et al.

 

If anything, you DON'T want to conflict with the frequency range of guitar (unless you are intentionally doubling guitar lines). When competing with distorted guitars, I find that the more clangorous piano sounds, or pianos with less fundamental in the timbre, stand a fighting chance of being heard. That's why Wurlitzer pianos can be heard better over guitars than Rhodes.

[Reezekeys]

Using a PPA as a wedge is great if it's only for your monitoring, but it sounds like you're asking about using it as a main sound source for smaller gigs where you're not going into a PA system. My approach is a little different. I have my two K8s behind & on each side of me, on small plastic folding footstools that raise them about 8" off the ground and tilted slightly upward. My laptop's headphone out is connected directly to the speakers. I have the advantage with my laptop rig that it's my only audio source, where all my virtual instruments let me add eq, reverb or other efx - so no mixer required.

 

I almost never use traditional tripod stands as I like my sound to come from very near me. Sitting on their little footstool stands, the horns are below ear level, letting me push the speakers a little harder and still be comfortable because they're not beaming directly into my ears. That helps get the sound out to the audience and the rest of the band without blowing me out. If you're comfortable hearing yourself from farther away, tripod stands will probably get your sound farther into a room than the way I do it. Those short Yorkville stands Tim mentioned sound cool, but my little footstools weigh about a pound each, fold almost completely flat, super portable, and about $10 each.

 

[MPN21]

The footstool seems like a great idea. I will have to try it out myself. A link to the footstool https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Non-Slip-9-Folding-Step-Stool-with-Handle-250lb-capacity/437771071

[Barryjam]

What do you think of the new Sequenz Sonicbar? I thought it might just add speakers to your keyboards and may be suited as a monitor as well as an amp for small gigs. Since it is mounted to the keyboard stand and stereo it may get as close as possible to the sound a real EP/AP/Organ may deliver.

 

I admit I havent seriously researched these, but my initial impression from the photos is that the Sonicbar, as a monitor, might be so close to the player and project at your belly or chest, not ears, if you play standing. Might work well if you play sitting. But I havent seen a demo or review.

[dsteinschneider]

I can understand this thread seeming to be useless but it's been very helpful to me.

 

I usually play bass but have been teaching myself Hammond organ the past year. I'm using a controller with VB3 II and the IK Amplitube Leslie. First I used my Eden 210XLT with the horn turned up. It sounded ok.

 

Then someone gave me Alto TS115a's that needed replacement woofers. I put in Eminence Kappa 15C's and they work better than the bass amp. I should probably count my blessing that I was able to get these working for a couple hundred bucks and just stay with them.

 

Still I would love to try the Spacestation V3 and KB500s so I read threads like this and have learned a lot about keyboard amplification.

 

 

[agitato]

Hey Tim. I am considering getting the K & M Model 21455 short speaker stand for my EV ZXA1. Have you heard of it? It's apparently the shortest speaker stand K & M makes. It's more $ than the Yorkville short stand that you have, around $175. Was interested in it because of K & M's manufacturing quality and durability. I have a K & M 1890 keyboard table stand and that continues to be the most rock solid stand I've ever owned. Just wondering if you think the K & M might be overkill for my purposes. Thanks for reading.

[AnotherScott]

my little footstools weigh about a pound each, fold almost completely flat, super portable, and about $10 each.

I considered that. I was hoping to find one where the flat top surface could be velcro'd to the bottom of the speaker, with the "legs" folding up underneath, so there would be effectively no extra piece to bring in and place, but couldn't find anything like that. Still, it seems like less fuss than a tripod, just to get them off the floor.

[Reezekeys]

I was hoping to find one where the flat top surface could be velcro'd to the bottom of the speaker, with the "legs" folding up underneath

Not possible with these, as you can probably tell by looking at the pic - they fold up in the middle of the platform. Even if it could be done, the way I hump those speakers in & out of my trunk would ensure these stands wouldn't last long velcro'd to the speakers. Carrying them as separate pieces is not that big a deal, they slip onto my hand truck against one of the cases, held in place by the strap. WAY easier to deal with than tripod stands, which I have and use very occasionally. Those turn my one-trip shlep into two trips.

[dbran]

An alternative to the footstool: I use a pair of small (7.5-gallon) black Sterilite stacker tubs to carry pedals, cables, etc. When I get to the stage, I empty their contents, and then they become short speaker stands for the K8.2's.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-7-5-Gal-28-L-Stacker-Tote-Black/43002358?athcpid=43002358&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=ecd32836-b85-16773e498fb481&athena=true

 

I turn them upside down to use as speaker stands (lid goes on the floor), for two reasons: The lids don't have quite enough space inside the lip to accommodate the K8.2 speaker base, and also, there is a slight outward taper to the tubs, so they are larger at the top than the bottom. Flipping them over reverses this, so they are more stable.

 

[AnotherScott]

An alternative to the footstool: I use a pair of small (7.5-gallon) black Sterilite stacker tubs to carry pedals, cables, etc. When I get to the stage, I empty their contents, and then they become short speaker stands for the K8.2's.

Another useful idea! Reminds me of the old days, I used a milk crate for my cables, and then the empty mlk crate turned up on its side was my piano stool. ;-)

[dbran]

An alternative to the footstool: I use a pair of small (7.5-gallon) black Sterilite stacker tubs to carry pedals, cables, etc. When I get to the stage, I empty their contents, and then they become short speaker stands for the K8.2's.

Another useful idea! Reminds me of the old days, I used a milk crate for my cables, and then the empty mlk crate turned up on its side was my piano stool. ;-)

 

Ahh, milk crates! Is there anything they can't do?

[JimboKeys]

Hey Tim. I am considering getting the K & M Model 21455 short speaker stand for my EV ZXA1. Have you heard of it? It's apparently the shortest speaker stand K & M makes. It's more $ than the Yorkville short stand that you have, around $175. Was interested in it because of K & M's manufacturing quality and durability. I have a K & M 1890 keyboard table stand and that continues to be the most rock solid stand I've ever owned. Just wondering if you think the K & M might be overkill for my purposes. Thanks for reading.

On reading here about these short speaker stands i picked up one (don't think it was the Yorkville, might have been On-Stage Stands equivalent). But quickly discovered that the stand doesn't work for my ZxA1 - the way the mounting hole in the ZxA1 is place at the back of the speaker makes it so front-heavy that placing it on the short stand (with its narrow footprint) just makes the whole thing topple forward. I've compared this to some other speakers and it seems that this problem is unique to the ZxA1 - for instance, the short speaker stand works fine for a ELX-12P at over twice the weight, where the mounting hole is in the center of the speaker.

 

- Jimbo

[elif]

Here's another one you can look at. Audio2000'S AST420Y-15 Short Speaker Stand The tripod circle diameter is about 100 cm when the center post is pushed all the way to the floor.

 

IMO very sturdy so far. I've been using it with a K&M 21455 speaker mounting fork to hold two DXR10s. For this application a wider base is probably best.

[RABid]

My happy medium is a Spacestation for when I want quick and easy, and a pair of EV's when I want more.

[El Lobo]

A top pro was telling me last night that when he wants simple and portable he takes his spacestation + his bass player girlfriend's little portable GK bass amp. He does a lot of LH bass so this rig does the job and is easy to carry and set up.

[rickp]

A top pro was telling me last night that when he wants simple and portable he takes his spacestation + his bass player girlfriend's little portable GK bass amp. He does a lot of LH bass so this rig does the job and is easy to carry and set up.

That's a combo I use quite a bit as well for low volume LH bass events, substituting K8.2's for the SS if more umph is needed. The SS is also pretty hard to beat for low volume AP restaurant or country club gigs, it seems to disperse well throughout the space without having to crank up volume to reach back corners. To my ears, AP piano through a SS can be a challenge unless you use something like a Yamaha P with built-in speakers; my P105 sounds much better through a SS than my CP4 or Stage3; makes me wonder if the setup designs utilized in those pianos for their small built-in speakers translates better to the SS.

 

 

[Delaware Dave]

Another useful idea! Reminds me of the old days, I used a milk crate for my cables, and then the empty mlk crate turned up on its side was my piano stool.

 

Reminds me of the current days where I use an empty milk crate upside down for my PPA. Black of course so that it is hard to distinguish

[MotiDave]

Another useful idea! Reminds me of the old days, I used a milk crate for my cables, and then the empty mlk crate turned up on its side was my piano stool.

 

Reminds me of the current days where I use an empty milk crate upside down for my PPA. Black of course so that it is hard to distinguish

i once used a milk crate as a combo cord holder / speaker stand.