Looking for lightweight keyboard amp

[arniereed]

Hi, Arnie here from Nashville, just turned 79 and have been playing in 3 bands here but will soon undergo back surgery, so need to lighten my load. I just got myself a Yamaha CK88 and love the B3 section, at a fraction of the cost of a Nord Stage model. Now for the hard part: selecting a lightweight keyboard amp that won't break the budget. I've been lugging a Roland KC-600, but at 65 lbs it's a bit too heavy. I'm looking for an affordable amp in the range of 20-30 lbs. There just don't seem to be many choices. One band has 4 to 12 members depending on the gig and plays Blues and R&B at the best dive bars in town, the other two play originals at a lower volume. So I'm not competing with stacks of Marshalls but need something that can cut through the guitars.

 

[DungBeatle]

Roland KC-80 Keyboard Amplifier weighs about 28 lbs and the KC-200 weighs about 42 lbs.
~Bob

 

[anotherscott]

I don't know where you're drawing the "affordable" line, but Bose L1 Pro8 is very nice sounding with a wide (180 degree) dispersion. It would be my pick as long as you didn't need too much volume. The heaviest piece, the bass module, is about 30 lbs, but even then, it's very manageable for the weight, it's well balanced with a good handle. (And the extension part for the top is super light.) It's a fast and easy setup.

If you want to spend less and/or get something lighter and/or louder, there are a number of nice powered PA speakers. I've liked ones from EV, QSC, and even some low cost ones from Alto. The lightest one that I really like is the EV ZXa1, which weighs only 19 lbs. The shortcomings of these powered PA speakers relative to the Bose, are (1) dispersion is less (usually around 90 degrees), (2) keyboard outputs are often not "hot" enough to drive the speakers to louder volumes (meaning that it is common to add a mixer), and (3) when used for audience coverage (as opposed to only as a personal monitor), you'd probably want to put it on a tripod. The need to also bring and setup a tripod and possible mixer is not a big deal... the stuff is light and not expensive... but it does involve a bit more setup/breakdown time (more pieces, more wiring). If you want wider dispersion, you can get a pair of the speakers, which also gives you the potential for stereo, but again you're adding more pieces and more wiring.

 

[Brian1959]

I use the ALTO 2000W TS408, love it

 

[musicbysterling]

A powered speaker is the way to go. Keyboard amps from Peavey, Roland,Behringer and other brands aren’t powerful and generally sound disappointing IMHO.

 

[mwtzzz]

A powered speaker is the way to go. Keyboard amps from Peavey, Roland,Behringer and other brands aren’t powerful and generally sound disappointing IMHO.

Agreed.

What you want is an Electro Voice PXM-12MP.

Or better yet, a Yamaha DZR-12.

 

[Stampanator]

Hi, Arnie here from Nashville, just turned 79 and have been playing in 3 bands here but will soon undergo back surgery, so need to lighten my load. I just got myself a Yamaha CK88 and love the B3 section, at a fraction of the cost of a Nord Stage model. Now for the hard part: selecting a lightweight keyboard amp that won't break the budget. I've been lugging a Roland KC-600, but at 65 lbs it's a bit too heavy. I'm looking for an affordable amp in the range of 20-30 lbs. There just don't seem to be many choices. One band has 4 to 12 members depending on the gig and plays Blues and R&B at the best dive bars in town, the other two play originals at a lower volume. So I'm not competing with stacks of Marshalls but need something that can cut through the guitars.

Bose l1 compact . Smaller gigs a pair of bose sp1 (stereo)

 

[JerseyGuy]

Hi, Arnie here from Nashville, just turned 79 and have been playing in 3 bands here but will soon undergo back surgery, so need to lighten my load. I just got myself a Yamaha CK88 and love the B3 section, at a fraction of the cost of a Nord Stage model. Now for the hard part: selecting a lightweight keyboard amp that won't break the budget. I've been lugging a Roland KC-600, but at 65 lbs it's a bit too heavy. I'm looking for an affordable amp in the range of 20-30 lbs. There just don't seem to be many choices. One band has 4 to 12 members depending on the gig and plays Blues and R&B at the best dive bars in town, the other two play originals at a lower volume. So I'm not competing with stacks of Marshalls but need something that can cut through the guitars.

Get two powered PA speakers. 10" should do it. One for practice and two side by side for gigs. You could go for 12" speakers but of course the weight goes up. I use two JBL 610's and they're plenty loud.

 

[Steve Bolander]

Fishman LoudBox Mini can actually fill a moderate sized room.

Tiny little sucker and amazingly powerful for a lunchbox-sized unit for your keys, vocals and acoustic guitars. And it can easily double as a superb powered monitor.

Amazon.com