AnotherScott Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 4 hours ago, DroptopBroham said: I had the worst time of my life gigging with powered PA speakers. They just don't sound as good Speakers vary. Saying all powered speakers sound bad based on whatever it was you used could be as flawed as my saying, for example, all self-contained amps sound good, based on my positive experience with Motion Sound. 3 Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Lobo Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 I really don't understand this thread. I've been using a pair of K8's for years. Recently I replaced one of them with a JBL Eon One compact, mainly for convenience -- it's lightweight and battery powered so no power cord needed. There are times when the guitar player in my blues-rock band turns to me and tells me to turn the keyboard down. Both the Nord and the speakers are at half volume. Quote These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polychrest Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 9 hours ago, DroptopBroham said: The KC400 is the amp you need and you have it . . . I'd look to strengthen myself up a bit and try to put some casters on it like they have on the KC600, they make a world of difference plus you can stack stuff on the amp and roll it it all in on one trip. Easy peasy. I second this motion. Here's a beautiful old KC 300 with casters and a piece of classic gear stacked on top that lots of members here at KC would love to run through it, given a chance. 1 2 Quote “For 50 years, it was like being chained to a lunatic.” -- Kingsley Amis on the eventual loss of his libido Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 Speaking of big ol heavy amps, I somewhat fondly remember my Peavey KB 300 I had in the late 80s. I like to say I could drop farm animals at 50 paces with that thing. Not sure how it would sound with a decent piano--that's the instrument that makes cheap speakers and amps sound bad IMO--since the only one I had was the one in the Emu Proteus. Like a fool I used to tote that around with no casters, young and dumb then and old and slightly-less-dumb now. One thing is for sure, I stay away from loud practice rooms and stages now, wish I had then.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 . Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Lobo Posted April 25 Share Posted April 25 3 hours ago, Stokely said: Speaking of big ol heavy amps, I somewhat fondly remember my Peavey KB 300 I had in the late 80s. I like to say I could drop farm animals at 50 paces with that thing. I have one in the back of my gear closet. Don't know if it works any more. Dullest sounding amp I ever knew. But you could drop it 10 feet off a loading dock and it would still work. Quote These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 1 hour ago, El Lobo said: you could drop it 10 feet off a loading dock and it would still work. that was a fault, not a feature! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 Eh, I thought my synth sounded good through it. That said, it's the only amp I've ever used at a gig other than occasional house amps of various sorts so I'm hardly a good judge of amps. The last gig where I needed an amp or a powered speaker as an amp was at least 5 years ago. Gigs where I can't use the in-ears I just depend on a wedge mix for keys and everything else. I do bring the powered speaker to those just in case the wedge isn't enough, but so far it has been and the speaker can stay in the car. Interesting how there are many ways to get the job done 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJoB3 Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 KB300 is so tough it laughs at the ridicule it gets. They also excel with analog monos, varied synth bass, real bass, surprisingly sound decent with organ clones and leslie sims, e-drums to a degree, etc. Pianos, strings, and all the pretty stuff...no (that's when it shows it's Peavey nasal teeth!) This one is still running well. OP: Yeah, I think the OP already has the easiest answer but rather than adding casters instead pickup a little light hand truck (or cart) with air tires. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 I have a little Roland KC-220 that is perfect for living room jams. The last amp I used on stage was a Spacestation but that gave way pretty quickly to in-ears. I think if I were band or digital piano solo gigging again and didn't have a sound tec situation, I'd probably go for a couple of powered PAs. There's a new generation of ElectroVoice ZLXs that look very interesting. 1 Quote ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunlight2 Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 I use a Vox VX50 (around £250) and find it great, usual caveat re pianos (not so great) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 I guess that's really the knock on most of the Roland KCs... piano. For everything else I think they're generally okay, but so many players rely so much on piano, that if something doesn't sound decent for piano, it's too much of a compromise, especially considering that they are usually heavy to lug around. 1 Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 5 minutes ago, AnotherScott said: especially considering that they are usually heavy to lug around. Yup. I refuse to buy any amp/cabinet made with horrible, boat-anchor heavy, don't get it wet, glued sawdust, MDF "wood" product. It is possible to make lightweight "actual wood" products and not have them be a fortune. Fun Example: next time in BanjoCenter, lift up a Roland KC-600..... ($849. 200watts. 1x15. MDF cabinet. 64lbs!!!!)... then walk over to the bass department and lift up a Fender Rumble 200.... ($579. 200watts. 1x15. pine/ply cabinet. 34.5lbs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassdad Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 1 hour ago, D. Gauss said: Yup. I refuse to buy any amp/cabinet made with horrible, boat-anchor heavy, don't get it wet, glued sawdust, MDF "wood" product. It is possible to make lightweight "actual wood" products and not have them be a fortune. Fun Example: next time in BanjoCenter, lift up a Roland KC-600..... ($849. 200watts. 1x15. MDF cabinet. 64lbs!!!!)... then walk over to the bass department and lift up a Fender Rumble 200.... ($579. 200watts. 1x15. pine/ply cabinet. 34.5lbs). Yup - I think that’s what Motion Sound has done with the KP series. The MS KP-612SX weighs 52 pounds, and the Roland equivalent KC-990 weighs 92 Pounds! I purchased (and returned) the Roland KC-990 simply because I could not see myself lifting that in real-world gigging situations. Time will tell if the MS KP-612SX is hardy enough for constant road use. So far, so good. Quote Ludwig van Beethoven: “To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” My Rig: Yamaha MOXF8 (used mostly for acoustic piano voices); Motion Sound KP-612SX & SL-512. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wineandkeyz Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 My main band uses IEMs, which I love. However, I still have a (now discontinued) Traynor K4 keyboard amp that I use for fill-in gigs, etc. To me, it's a good-sounding, convenient all-in-one package: three stereo input channels, one with a tube preamp and one that can actually accept two inputs; a fourth monitor input; stereo XLR outs with ground lift; and a "sorta stereo" cabinet with a mono 12" woofer and left-right mid and high drivers. And the cabinet can be placed in forward-facing or kickback orientation. I'm on my second K4: I bought my first one back in 2006 and used it up until a few years ago. A friend of mine joined a new band and needed an amp so I sold him the K4 for peanuts. Within a few months, I wished I had it back, so I found another used one online. 1 Quote Live: Yamaha S70XS (#1); Roland Jupiter-80; Mackie 1202VLZ4: IEMs or Traynor K4 Home: Hammond SK Pro 73; Moog Minimoog Voyager Electric Blue; Yamaha S70XS (#2); Wurlitzer 200A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. Gauss Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 14 minutes ago, wineandkeyz said: My main band uses IEMs, which I love. However, I still have a (now discontinued) Traynor K4 keyboard amp that I use for fill-in gigs, etc. To me, it's a good-sounding, convenient all-in-one package: three stereo input channels, one with a tube preamp and one that can actually accept two inputs; a fourth monitor input; stereo XLR outs with ground lift; and a "sorta stereo" cabinet with a mono 12" woofer and left-right mid and high drivers. And the cabinet can be placed in forward-facing or kickback orientation. I'm on my second K4: I bought my first one back in 2006 and used it up until a few years ago. A friend of mine joined a new band and needed an amp so I sold him the K4 for peanuts. Within a few months, I wished I had it back, so I found another used one online. Those are really great amps. They are heavy (57 lbs), but at least they are made of plywood not shitty MDF like Roland. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wineandkeyz Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 9 minutes ago, D. Gauss said: Those are really great amps. They are heavy (57 lbs), but at least they are made of plywood not shitty MDF like Roland. Yep, although that 57 lb feels a lot heavier at the end of the night! Quote Live: Yamaha S70XS (#1); Roland Jupiter-80; Mackie 1202VLZ4: IEMs or Traynor K4 Home: Hammond SK Pro 73; Moog Minimoog Voyager Electric Blue; Yamaha S70XS (#2); Wurlitzer 200A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesB3 Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 11 hours ago, D. Gauss said: Yup. I refuse to buy any amp/cabinet made with horrible, boat-anchor heavy, don't get it wet, glued sawdust, MDF "wood" product. It is possible to make lightweight "actual wood" products and not have them be a fortune. Fun Example: next time in BanjoCenter, lift up a Roland KC-600..... ($849. 200watts. 1x15. MDF cabinet. 64lbs!!!!)... then walk over to the bass department and lift up a Fender Rumble 200.... ($579. 200watts. 1x15. pine/ply cabinet. 34.5lbs). Yeah this. ^^^ I had the MS KBR-M as my first attempt to get a Leslie for a clone. I had it on a low furniture dolly re-sized to support the tiltback cab (there wasn't any ergonomic way for one guy to carry it) and a Tuki padded cover. It hit a crack in the sidewalk on the way into the club and fell about 2.5". The stupid MDF cab cracked. Not dented... cracked. Who the eff makes gig cabinets out of MDF? That dense stuff is good for a home audio speaker as long as your house never floods. I dumped the amp soon after that and nailed a cosmetically distressed 145 with an unrusted amp in Central Cal on ebay and never looked back. Hopefully MS has learned this lesson with the KP series. Quote Yamaha CP73; 145 gig Leslie; Nord Electro 61; Oberheim OB3^2; Wurlitzer 200A; Ampeg Gemini I amp; Speakeasy Leslie preamp; QSC K-10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockit31 Posted Thursday at 04:52 PM Share Posted Thursday at 04:52 PM my qsc 10.2 monitor plugs into our main mixer monitor port so I can hear not only my main board but my second one and my vocals as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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