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 Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp 
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Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:30 am
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Post Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
I will be ordering my first stick tomorrow. (Yay!) Now I get to worry about finding an amp. This will be the first electrically Amplified instrument I have ever owned. I know absolutely nothing about amps. I have been told I need a bass amp.

Greg Howard was kind enough to spend some time with me, but the practice Amp he uses is a one-off, and he didn't have a specific recommendation for me. Then, I was looking at the diagram of the range of the stick, compared to the range of a piano. My next thought was, why not use a keyboard amp? It should get you all of your lows and then some, and all of your highs and then some.

I read the amp thread, but it didn't really address this.

So, I am asking you guys for input. I have a budget of five to six hundred dollars. Right now this is a practice only amp, I have no plans to become professional in any capacity. I'm not getting MIDI on my instrument, and don't plan on doing funky special effects and processing. Is there a reason I should use a bass amp over a keyboard amp? What you recommend for a basic, decent quality, starter amplifier in my price range?

Thanks!


Last edited by Kaelyn on Tue Oct 31, 2017 6:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

Mon Oct 30, 2017 9:17 pm
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Post Re: Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
There’s an entire thread on amps just below this one you might want to read.

You don’t need to limit yourself to bass or keyboard. You can use most PA systems/amps, acoustic amps or even drum amps. At your price range you might think about a fishman or Marshall accoustic amp and a bass driver to plug the bass side into before running it into the amp to give that side a more bass feel to it. You can pick up a practice-sized amp for 200-300 from those two companies if you don’t mind used gear and can get a sansamp bass driver for around 70-100.

The stick sounds nice clean, but better with some color. Same reason bass amps and guitar amps color the sound a bit.


Mon Oct 30, 2017 10:03 pm
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Post Re: Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
Congratulations on your new Stick! I was using 2 QSC K12 powered monitors, but it was eventually too much. I sold that rig and picked up a Fisherman Loudbox Performer and their Sub woofer. I doubt you'll need the sub.... You can plug both sides of the Stick into this amp and it sounds incredible. The effects built into the amp are pristine! I believe it is $799.00 well worth the price. You can probably pick up a used one on Reverb.com Best of luck to you.


Tue Oct 31, 2017 7:41 am
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Post Re: Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
wow, that Fishman is 180 watts! that's HUGE! Looks like Fishman makes a 120 watt "combo amp" version, how well does a "combo amp" handle bass?


Tue Oct 31, 2017 7:58 am
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Post Re: Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
Used is fine with me as long as it's in good shape. Does Reverb have a good reputation regarding their used gear? Do they do any in-house testing to make sure it works at an acceptable level?


Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:20 am
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Post Re: Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
Keyboard amps and PAs work well to handle the whole range of the instrument, but they tend to be very cold sounding as they usually handle sounds that are being "treated" a bit going in. On a keyboard you have a million different ways to edit the sound on the board itself or through your computer, and PA speakers tend to take a mix coming from a board, which has usually been altered at the board to get the best sound from the speaker that the board operator can achieve. Easily fixed by grabbing a good set of pre-amps though.

HOWEVER, since you're just looking for a practice amp, I would recommend a small, 2 input practice bass amp. I have a shitty Behringer ultrabass bx1200 that I traded a broken down resonator guitar for years ago as my bedroom practice amp and honestly I really like the sound I get out of it. That's the amp you're hearing in all my Tap Theory videos, both performance and instructional. Granted, when I do the performance videos I treat the sound a bit in Reaper and then sync it up to the video in my video editing program, but it's still just that shitty Behringer bx1200.

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Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:30 am
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Post Re: Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
I would say that if you are just beginning you should not get overly ambitious about the
"big sound". It doesn't really matter anyway because what you want to do is practice, practice,
practice :|.

If you are going to get good at playing this instrument, in fact any musical instrument
(almost :P ) your practice playing should be no# 1 and it must be fun or you won't do it.

So thinking of all that and perhaps those close to you :? a smaller amp is a better choice
imo :evil:. Not as much fun? Maybe not, but use your imagination or some headphones.

KC110's are great, also for super small Yamaha THX-10's are very useful. But a little bigger,
Randy's choice (rclere) could be all you need. Good luck and keep us informed.

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Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:50 am
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Post Re: Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
I have a studio full of amps of all kinds but for 99% of my shedding I have a Roland CM-30 on a mic stand at ear level if I'm seated. Lots of stereo inputs including one for a music player, another for a drum machine etc. No built-in EFX but I have an Alesis NanoVerb and a matching Alesis NanoCompressor (both stereo 1/3rd rack space units) sitting on top. Easily fills my practice space (12x15 foot den) with full range sound and when cranked a bit it can be heard throughout a 3 bedroom house. Also has a headphone only option. If you had 2 of them you could do a coffeehouse or wine bar gig. Everything in my rig including four 12" patch cords to hook everything up can be found used online for a total of $200 - $250.


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Tue Oct 31, 2017 1:52 pm
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Post Re: Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
The Stick is officially ordered..... :D *happy dance* Now commences 3-5 months of painful waiting. :|


Tue Oct 31, 2017 1:54 pm
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Post Re: Bass Amp VS Keyboard amp
Kaelyn wrote:
The Stick is officially ordered..... :D *happy dance* Now commences 3-5 months of painful waiting. :|



Nice! Congrats, Sticks are cool! What did you order?

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Tue Oct 31, 2017 3:39 pm
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