Nord User Forum

There is loads of conflicting advice out there.

"Don't use a guitar amp for keys, you will blow the speakers"

"A guitar amp is OK, but you won't get very good mids or highs"

"You'll be OK if you use a bass amp"

BUT....Jon Lord famously used a Marshall amp for his Hammond, so what's wrong with me using a small modelling amp, eg a Vox VT40, or a Fender Mustang II at around £165 each, and saving £1,000 on a pair of QSC K 10'S? Plus, I'd get reverb, delay etc. built in?

Stupid question? Well, if it's good enough for Jon Lord.......

You do not know how many speakers Jon Lord blew!

If you are using a synth, the range of low frequencies produced is very different than for a guitar, and in my humble and limited experience, guitar amps do not tend to sound good with kbd sounds. Maybe if you are after a distorted organ JL-style that is OK, but if you then want to play an acoustic piano or some detailed sounds, they will probably not sound as clear as the QSCs and similar types.
Next time you rehearse, connect your kbd to a guitar amp, play a bit, then connect directly to the mixing desk in stereo and you will realise the difference.
I played through some powered 15'' Alto and the NS2 sounded very well, extremely clear, and way better than ANY guitar amp I ever used.
http://altoproaudio.com/products/ts115a

I asked some time ago here if anybody else tried those Alto speakers, but there were no follow ups. I have not tried the QSC line, so I can't say how they compare.

Look at the back panel of your Nord. See the two gaping holes marked Left and Right? There's a reason for that. Your keyboard is meant to be played in stereo. In mono it sounds dull, in stereo it comes alive - especially the organ. But it doesn't mean it has to be expensive. I usually play straight into the stereo mixer but for some venues I use an old Carlsbro stereo amp that cost me £50. Try a few.

Look at the back panel of your Nord. See the two gaping holes marked Left and Right? There's a reason for that. Your keyboard is meant to be played in stereo. In mono it sounds dull, in stereo it comes alive - especially the organ. But it doesn't mean it has to be expensive. I usually play straight into the stereo mixer but for some venues I use an old Carlsbro stereo amp that cost me £50. Try a few.

I have pairs of 60 watt Hartke B600 bass amps, and Peavey guitar (45 watts each Pacers) and keyboard (75 watts each KB 100) amps. The guitar amps work great in a stage mix where too much bass would conflict with the bass and guitar. For solo playing, a good keyboard amp (or two) is pretty much a must. I have run in stereo only for the last twenty years. With the 4D, stereo really brings the sounds to life.

Choice of amp depends on intended use. On stage right now I'm using the Hartke's with the bass frequencies rolled off. They do not sound great alone, but are just right for meshing with the mix of the rest of the band.

Shark, I agree completely with your comments on stereo. I sold my Rhodes in the 80's and just replaced it, for home or studio use only. Bet you buy another someday--there's nothing like well set up Rhodes for expressiveness.

Ledbetter wrote:Shark, I agree completely with your comments on stereo. I sold my Rhodes in the 80's and just replaced it, for home or studio use only. Bet you buy another someday--there's nothing like well set up Rhodes for expressiveness.

Yeah and maybe I'll get a real B3 with a spinning 122 as well. Ledbetter wanna be my roadie???

I played through a Roland Cube for a while. It was functional enough but was not awesome. Ended up going with a EV powered PA speaker. Lays nicely on its side and points up at me, has plenty of power and sounds great. It was quite a bit less expensive than a really good guitar amp. I had never thought about this as a solution until someone here recommended it.

Six-string-man wrote:BUT....Jon Lord famously used a Marshall amp for his Hammond, so what's wrong with me using a small modelling amp, eg a Vox VT40, or a Fender Mustang II at around £165 each, and saving £1,000 on a pair of QSC K 10'S? Plus, I'd get reverb, delay etc. built in?

Stupid question? Well, if it's good enough for Jon Lord.......

The question is, do you really want your pianos to sound like Jon Lord's organ? Probably not, I'm thinking.

With amplification it's all about "horses for courses". Some keyboard sounds - electric pianos, organs, clavinets, even synths - can sound good through guitar amps - it can give them a lot more punch and body. That's why amp simulations are built into the Nords and many other keyboards. However, guitar amps vary tremendously - a Marshall valve amp will give completely different results from say, a Trace Elliot solid state bass amp, hence the conflicting advice you will get. The only really correct answer is: it depends.

The advantage of a suitable powered speaker is that it will give clean and accurate reproduction of *all* the sounds your Nord is capable of making. It is also generally accepted that acoustic piano sounds need clean and accurate reproduction, and that pretty much any guitar amp will compromise that too much.

In short, a powered speaker is definitely better for general purpose use, but a guitar amp is certainly an option depending if you want your sounds coloured a certain way.

Unfortunately, the reality is that a small cheap guitar amp will probably be a waste of money - remember that the loudspeaker and cab size and quality are a factor here as well. Believe me, if there was a cheaper alternative to powered speakers, we'd all be using it!

RedLeo wrote:

Six-string-man wrote:BUT....Jon Lord famously used a Marshall amp for his Hammond, so what's wrong with me using a small modelling amp, eg a Vox VT40, or a Fender Mustang II at around £165 each, and saving £1,000 on a pair of QSC K 10'S? Plus, I'd get reverb, delay etc. built in?

Believe me, if there was a cheaper alternative to powered speakers, we'd all be using it!

Very good point, and an excellent post. Thanks loads.

shark wrote:Look at the back panel of your Nord. See the two gaping holes marked Left and Right? There's a reason for that. Your keyboard is meant to be played in stereo. In mono it sounds dull, in stereo it comes alive - especially the organ. But it doesn't mean it has to be expensive. I usually play straight into the stereo mixer but for some venues I use an old Carlsbro stereo amp that cost me £50. Try a few.

Take another look, there's four outputs, which you can route different sounds/programs to, for a reason. To my ears a lot of the emulations are boxy and often difficult to monitor well on stage, and for recording. If possible, I prefer outputs 1&2 going into DI box to PA for acoustic sounds and most synths, 3 to Leslie for Hammond organs and some electric pianos, and 4 to a guitar amp (i.e. Vox AC30/Fender combo) for most electric pianos, combo organs, Mellotrons and some other samples.