Good all purpose keyboard amp

Looking for a good keyboard amp for many applications: piano, bass synth, synth leads. One especially with good bass response (don't have a bass player and primarily rely on synths for lower registers). Any suggestions?

What's your price range?

Wait for Motion Sound's KP500SN. Period. The KP200S is nice, but it's lacking a little power when playing full out with a rock band. The 500SN will give you PA power in just a little 57 lbs. box. Expect to pay about ~1500 for it. I believe it's due out this month.

My reason for suggesting this is simply because of sound quality, versatility and ease of use. There are no better stereo amps/options that are in such a convienient package. Everything else of this category/quality is either a lot more bulky, or is in tons of different pieces (do you want to carry a mixer/amp speakers/tons of wiring?).

I'm not familiar with the Yorkville amps. However, I'm thinking you'd need to lug two of them for stereo sound.

-Phil

well for that price you could get 2 1000-watt peavys if I am not mistaken.

And you can't get good stereo from one amp anyway. With that price the amp should be pretty good. You could get 2 eons or 2 Roland KC-550 for that...

Definitely recommend the KC-550(getting mine soon) very powerful, solid bass response. It's a little on the heavy side(about 64 lbs), but it comes with built in casters. I'm able to snag one for $545 from a dealer here in town

+1. Been gigging with mine for a little more than 2 years now. Solid amp, tons of balls, low distortion, great tonal separation. I also own a KC-350, not as ballsy - but a decent second choice if you wanted to go a little smaller.

Electro Voice SXA 360

Just under 37lbs, 500W of power, excellent full range sound. You will need a mixer, but keyboardists often use more than 4 inputs (like on Roland KC) anyway.

Full specs here:

http://www.electrovoice.com/products/211.html

Palaver said: The 500SN will give you PA power in just a little 57 lbs. box. Expect to pay about ~1500 for it. I believe it's due out this month.

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For less than $1500 you can buy two JBL EON G2 15's...have great stereo and all the power you will ever need. Plus they can be used as monitors or FOH sound and you won't need a mixer as each unit has l XLR and 2 1/4" inputs. The JBL powered monitors sound great and are very versatile.

I used to have the G2's and they're great. But I tired very quickly of the extra set-up time and hassle (and space) so I got the KP200s and I'm happy, and get as many or more compliments on my sound. I don't like vocals through the G2's- too muddy. Still, they're a better choice IMO for FOH and for bass. Haven't heard the KC-550 but evidently it is much better than it's Peavey counterpart (KB4) if Tuck likes it so much.

Every time this discussion comes up you get some guys who have never tried the Motion Sound amps making BS statements like "you can't get stereo out of one amp". If they bothered to try them they'd know not only do MS amps produce stereo but why they are such hot sellers.

I've used a KP200s for a couple of years now, and I also have a couple of JBL EONs so I can choose which goes with at any time... the KP200s always gets the nod. It simply sounds great. The only thing I'd ever consider replacing my KP-200s with is the new KP-500SN.

do the KP-500s and KP-200s have rotating speakers (i.e., leslie-esque speakers)?

Believe me, PFC... WAY better!!

How about in the $500 to $700 range? Something gig ready and powerful enough to cut through a wall of ambient guitar sound. A closed back amp would be better I figured to get a punchy bass response. The kb's seem a little flimsy for the job. But mine was open back

KC-550 fits the bill. Cost new $595 or less.

ThePro is right, guys - I've also been using the Motion Sound KP200S for a couple years... after I discovered I loved my little KP100S so much, I bought its big brother the KP200S! And I too have a pair of JBL EONs which I also really like for their power, portability and projection - but in terms of sheer sound quality for keys, the Motion Sound KP200S wins over the EONs hands down, for its warm, round sound. The EONs are a bit harsh and bright by comparison, though they sound pretty darn good on their own, before comparing!

I'm thinking that the new soon-to-be released Motion Sound KP500SN will be a monster, in terms of sound quality, power and bass response. Too bad it'll be $1,500 bucks but hey - quality costs money. I wasn't happy about paying 9 bills for the KP200S but it's an investment I don't regret.

And btw, it is NOT true that you can't hear true stereo from one amp though - the KP200S gives you stereo sound that is rich and full. Perhaps it's not quite as wide a field as a pair of separate speakers but it even has an "expander" knob that makes even more rich and full and it comes pretty darn close to sounding like two separated speakers...

Where I differ slightly from The Pro and other live stereo sound enthusiasts is that I think on a gig w/a loud rock band the "stereo-ness" of it is almost a waste - only you the keyboard player are benefitting from it... but for some, that's good enough - and I respect that as well.

Traynor K2 would work too.

ThePro is right, guys - I've also been using the Motion Sound KP200S for a couple years... after I discovered I loved my little KP100S so much, I bought its big brother the KP200S!

What's the main difference between those two? Bass and volume?

Yo, D...I use this

https://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=PA620

and a couple of Carvin fullrange cabs and it's fine.

I have a pair of the Behringer B212A's that I got brand new for under $400. They've clones of some Mackie active PA speaker that is competing the JBLs. They're great!

http://www.behringer.com/B212A/index.cfm?lang=eng

if you like to play chainsaw, Roland KC-550 is the choice! It hasnt ever been sampled, but I can tell you, that sound RAWKS!

Hmm, lots of guys seem to like the KC here (I got one too BTW). The sound is very bass heavy! And there are no mids to speak of really. Overall the choice was so bad I want to kill myself now =(.

Tried playing gtr through it once, terrible, too!

Let's all read this again. The stereo effect out of a KP200s is amazing. For keys it's perfect, though you may find that guitars, especially badly played ones, will cover you with an impenetrable wall of sound that the KP200s can't pierce. Add a SW-15 and you have lots of bass, though.

I have a KP200s and, though they have been polite to me by email, I have never beta tested for Motion Sound and have no bias known to me, my wife, or my lawyer. So help me god.

The KP200S has a beautiful sound -- even the EQ is sweet.

And, I agree, the expander effect is not just a gimmick, but can really be used creatively as a subtly modulated ambience effect -- throws the sound out there in a pleasing way.

The new 500 has got me salivating a bit.

My 200S sounds good enough for miking for recording -- makes a VA sound like a real instrument.

Yes - main diff. between the Motion Sound KP100S and KP200 is bass & volume, plus size and weight, of course.

I too have a Motion Sound KP200S and a pair of JBL EON15 G2's - I also have given the KP200S the nod in the past, for sound quality... but I recently invested in a pair of QSC K12's - I like them way better than the EONs for general PA use and even better than the KP200S for keyboard amplification.