As a gigging keyboardist and a slowly improving guitarist, I often have to choose an amplifier that’s right for each situation.
One of the first considerations is whether the amp is going to be the sole source of my instrument’s sound or if there’s also going to be a PA. If all the keyboard sounds are coming only from my amp, then I need it to be powerful, clean, and preferably stereo. Why? Because many of the important bread-and-butter sounds, such as Grand Piano, Organ with rotating Leslie, Electric Piano with stereo tremolo, and Synth sounds with ping-pong delay, lose a lot of their magic if the left and right channels are combined into mono. There are even situations where a sound’s ambience is created by having the left and right channels out of phase with each other. Those sounds get very weird (or completely disappear) when combined to mono.
If there’s going to be a PA, then my next question is whether the house mixer and PA speaker are running in mono or stereo. (You’d be surprised at how many older venues still run in mono.) If I know I am going to be performing at a venue with a mono house mix and the keyboard amp is my keyboard monitor, then I will choose a mono amp. Why? Because I prefer to hear the same sonic result that the audience is hearing. That way I know if I need to choose a different piano sound, for example. (I’m happy to report that most modern keyboards have added Mono Piano versions to their factory presets.)
Regardless of your decision to get a stereo keyboard amp, a mono keyboard amp, or even two mono keyboard amps (to allow both options), make sure you get an amp that has enough wattage to allow you to hear yourself when everyone else is playing. Unlike a guitar amp, it rarely sounds satisfactory for keyboards if the amp and speakers are being pushed to their limits. If there are live drums and electric guitars, then you’ll want to look at amps with 100 watts or more.
Here are some powerful mono and stereo keyboard amps that are worthy of your consideration.
Mono Keyboard Amps
- Roland KC-200 100w 12″ Keyboard Amp
- Behringer Ultratone KXD15 600w 15″ Keyboard Amp
- Roland KC-400 150w 12″ Keyboard Amp
- Peavey KB 5 150w 2×10″ Keyboard Amp
Stereo Keyboard Amps
- Roland KC-220 30w 2×6.5″ Keyboard Amp
- Motion Sound KP-100S 100w 2×8″ Keyboard Amp
- Motion Sound KP-500SN 500w 2×12″ Keyboard Amp
- Aspen Pittman Designs Spacestation XL -700w 12″ Full Range Stereo Monitor
- Roland KC-990 320w 2×12″ Keyboard Amp
If you have any questions about keyboard amplifiers, either mono or stereo, contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700.
