Everything about the Nord Electro 2, Electro 3, Electro 4, Electro 5, and Nord Electro 6.

amp revelation

Postby jjo205 » 22 Oct 2016, 02:38

I'm sure this is old new to a lot of you, but it was a revelation to me to use my guitar tube amp with Wurly, Rhodes, Farfisa, Vox, synths ... lots (acoustic piano, not so much). I've been struggling with amplification -- through a PA, stereo or mono, should i get a keyboard amp, acoustic guitar amp, powered monitor? -- all based on the assumption that I want it clean. But, playing guitar, I've never heard an amp simulation that could pretend to match a good guitar amp. So plug the NE5 into my c. 1960 Danelectro Centurian and somehow I was shocked to find that the electric pianos and organs have never sounded better. I've never been super impressed with nord's effects simulators, so now I'm running my guitar pedal board too. This is fun.
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amp revelation


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Re: amp revelation

Postby Lee Batchelor » 22 Oct 2016, 15:06

Good for you, JJ. My experience with all keyboards is, to get the best sound you usually need to run in stereo. Next is, where are you playing - at home, small venue, large venue, duet, loud band? There are so many variables. Whatever works for you.

Funny, a number of years ago I plugged my Yamaha piano into a Peavey acoustic guitar, 12" amp (mono of course). It couldn't go loud enough to work with the band I was playing in, however, the quality was amazing! Maybe I need to buy a couple Fender Twin amps :)!

I currently run both my keyboards (Electro 5 and Yamaha Tyros 5) through a pair of Bose Compacts, with a 15" sub I designed and built. The sound quality is amazing!
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Re: amp revelation

Postby mindrush » 22 Oct 2016, 15:30

Hello,
I think the best amp is the amp made for a clean and flat frequency reproduction, so lets say 40 Hz till 15.000 Hz
You can always play with the equalizer on the Nord to make the sound you like.
Myself, I use 2 Roland cube 60 active speakers for keyboards; they are perfect for me.
If you use a guitar amp, the amplifiers are actually not made/designed for the higher (keyboard-)frequencies; maybe till 5000 Hz, because the gitar has an other frequency range.
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Re: amp revelation

Postby jjo205 » 22 Oct 2016, 16:41

Yes, that's the standard advice that I've been trying to follow, and for some patches (such as acoustic piano), the clean reproduction of a keyboard amp etc is best. But for electric piano and transistor organ especially, the coloration provided by my guitar amp makes them sound much better to my ears. More alive, richer. Much better than the amps simulated by the Electro. Those simulators, after all, are trying to copy the sound of guitar amps, including the Twin Reverb with its tube overdrive. A safe bet that a real Twin Reverb will sound better. Simple point: the best amplification depends on what sound you want to get. Sometimes that means clean and flat response, but not always.
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Re: amp revelation

Postby mindrush » 22 Oct 2016, 17:25

Hi,
In my band setlist I use my Nord for 40% Hammond B3, 20% piano, 30% Fender Rhodes and maybe 10% samples.
Honestly speaking, I never use these amps simulated bij the electro 4D (small , JC and twin at my Nord 4D keyboard)
It does'nt give me the sound I like, so I let my Rolands do the work (which frequency range is clean and flat)
The only position I use for organ sounds is the rotaryposition and (sometimes) the drive knob for the typical John Lord sound (overdrive), and sometimes for the Fender Rhodes I make it less clean.
And for the rest, of course, all the effects I like.
I don't know how the sound is via your guitar amp but it can, in some cases, be the best sound for you.
It's very personal.
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Re: amp revelation

Postby Blueguitar007 » 05 Feb 2021, 01:29

I use a 5F2 Fender Tweed Champ clone with my NE5D and it sounds great. I also have plugged into silverface Champ, SF Deluxe reverb and others I own and none have disappointed, especially for EP and Organ. But the 5f2 Tweed Champ clone is my favorite for home use; it has a flatter EQ and can be clean or distorted.
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Re: amp revelation

Postby Blueguitar007 » 05 Feb 2021, 01:31

Forgot to mention - a non-reverb SF Princeton is a great amp for any EP or Synth and is clean all the way up the dial.
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