Keyboard amplifier buying guide

With so many keyboard amplifiers on the market today, how do you make a choice? To my mind it all depends on factors such as budget, what you're using your amp for, where you'll be using it, the kind of power you require, and the number of instruments you intend to plug into it.

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You need to choose the right keyboard amplifier for the job. An inexpensive, small amp may sound great in a small room such as a bookstore, or a small coffee house. It may be great for personal rehearsal at home as well. But that very same amp will not have much use in a bigger, noisier venue. On stage, in a large place, or open air venue, they're great as stage monitors. Some of them come with a low-impedance line out, so you can easily connect them to a powerful sound system.

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If you're looking for a good low frequency response and a full spectrum frequency range, the type of speakers that your amplifier comes with is important. The speaker cabinet should be fairly large with a woofer, midrange speaker, and a tweeter or high-frequency horn. If you're be playing at high volumes a high power rating is a must.

When it comes to keyboard amplification, guitar amplifiers just won't do. This is because the frequency range of guitar amps are less than that of keyboards. Think of all the various sounds that a keyboard produces, from low bass notes to high hats, and so on. Guitar amps are not designed to play bass, they have a presence boost in the midrange and in the high frequency range, most of them don't go past 10 kHz. There are several reasons why you shouldn't use guitar amps to amplify your keyboard sound but this is beyond the scope of this article.

Another factor to consider when choosing your amplifier is portability. If this is an issue you may have to compromise a little and buy something smaller.

Keyboard amp manufacturers or brands include Peavey, Alesis, Motion Sound, Crate, Behringer, Laney, Hartke, Barbetta, Fullerton, and Roland. Brands like Roland and Peavey continue to be very popular among keyboard players. I suggest that you read a few customer reviews online to help you make a decision on the right brand and model for the job.

Thankfully, you can connect other instruments to most of these amplifiers. Whether it be guitar, drum machines, CD players and DAT players. Some of them come with an XLR input that allows you to easily connect a microphone.

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