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#191022 - 11/28/00 09:43 AM Peavey KB-300
Ilija Petkovski Offline
Member

Registered: 06/04/00
Posts: 193
Loc: Apeldoorn
I can buy them for USD $200 anybody knows if it is a nice speaker/amp for my arranger?

Ilija

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#191023 - 11/28/00 11:02 AM Re: Peavey KB-300
Paul Ip Offline
Member

Registered: 11/26/99
Posts: 241
Loc: Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
Iliija,

Price is good for such a big amp though I am not a big fan of Peavey sounds.

Are you ready for physical challenge of having to haul 81-lb (36.8 Kg) Peavey KB 300 every time you gig? Although my Roland KC-500s sound good and have wheels for easier moves I nolonger am willing to move these 78-lb amps by myself. Fender has a fantastic stereo keyboard amp SFX 200 but it weights 82 lbs. I think that a keyboard amp without wheels weighing around 40 lbs (18 Kg) is about the heaviest portable ones that make sense to me. My experience with keyboard/keyboard amps is that every pound/kilogram beyond the 40 lb/18 Kg threshold actually make you feel that it is much heavier than it ought to be. I think the design of Samson EX-30 makes a lot more sense to me (with extended handle, wheels and option for battery operation) - but it is much more expensive than the Peavey KB 300 that you can get.

Good luck on your keyboard amp hunting,

Paul Ip
from Texas

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#191024 - 11/28/00 06:47 PM Re: Peavey KB-300
JCkeeys Offline
Member

Registered: 10/13/00
Posts: 584
Loc: St. James,New York,USA
If memory serves me right the KB300 has a Piezo horn(a tweeter with a horn attached to it)and a Black Widow 15" speaker, Very dated technology! You would be better served with a Roland KC-300 for few extra $ Brand New. I should add: PV's are reliable but for the better sound quality the Roland is better IMHO 1. Has stereo inputs 2. If more bass response and power is needed get the KC500.

[This message has been edited by JCkeeys (edited 11-30-2000).]

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#191025 - 11/28/00 08:54 PM Re: Peavey KB-300
deatonent Offline
Member

Registered: 05/28/00
Posts: 292
Loc: Tazewell, VA, USA
Ilija,
I give the Peavey KB300 a "Thumbs Up". I've had mine for seven years and it is a very dependable amp. I have used it for a personal monitor in our seven member Beach/soul/variety band, www.thecollegians.com as well as a one-man-band amp.
When I use it with the band, I transport it in a custom built road case (with wheels)and put it on the equipment truck. When I use it in my soloact I carry it in my Dodge minivan without the road case. I use a small two wheel hand-truck ($20.00 US)to move it around. I have installed recessed handles on each side which makes lifting the amp into and out of the van much easier.
As for the sound quality, it is very, very good with my Solton X1 and Roland G1000. The 15" Black Widow speaker and piezo tweeter get the job done even in fairly large rooms. It pumps a true 150 watts rms. Caution: over the years, not all KB300s came with the Black Widow speakers. I would insist on th BW. I recently acquired a new Roland KC300. It sounds fine in my family room or basement music room but it does not measure up to the KB300 in bass response, projection, and coverage of larger spaces (or those with a lot of carpeting and/or acoustic ceiling tile).
I like the way Peavey implements the three channel set up. In one of the channels you have your choice of XLR or 1/4" input. Vocals sound very clear and distinct through this amp. All in all, I would not consider selling my KB300 for less than $400.00(US). Even though it is 7 years old it is in new condition and sounds better than any $400.00 amp I've heard.

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#191026 - 11/28/00 09:23 PM Re: Peavey KB-300
brickboo Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 02/04/01
Posts: 2071
Loc: Fruita, Colorado, USA
Deatonent,

Have you heard the Carvin AG100 that Donny likes? If so, how would you compare the Peavey KB300 Amp to it?

Thanks
Boo
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I'm not prejudiced, I hate everybody!! Ha ha! My Sister-In-Law had this tee shirt. She was a riot!!!

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#191027 - 11/29/00 07:24 PM Re: Peavey KB-300
Doug Norton Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 11/19/00
Posts: 7
Loc: Memphis, TN
I had a KB-100 for awhile. One thing you can give Peavey is that they build 'em to last. One time I loaded my KB-100 into the back of my pickup truck after a job, and forgot to close the tailgate. I took off down the freeway; after a few minutes a guy puilled alongside and yelled out that I was losing my load. I looked back in the mirror and the amp was tumbling end-over-end on the concrete of the freeway, and drivers behind me were dodging out of the way!

So, I went back and picked it up, and of course it was beaten, tolex torn, pieces of wood chipped out, etc. Got it home and fired it up, and it worked like a champ! It always had a scratchy pot on the ch.1 volume after that....I used it for a couple more years and sold it to a guy who's still using it today.

So anyway, if you need a tough amp that can really take some abuse, the Peavey stuff's great. I do agree with the other posters that say that the technology on these is dated, and other amps probably sound better, and are lighter. But, for $200 you can't beat them. Put some casters on the bottom.

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#191028 - 11/30/00 09:09 PM Re: Peavey KB-300
DLK8 Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 11/30/99
Posts: 6
I know your discussion is about a larger Peavey Amp. But it may be helpful for you to know about the Peavey KB-30 amp as well. It's compact, with a special coax woofer/tweeter combo (10 inch woofer). It is also bi-amped, so puts out a much more powerful sound volume than might be expected. The bass amp portion is I believe 40 watts, and the High end is 15 watts. Peavey claims it will provide the equivalent output (before clipping) of a 100 watt amp. All I know is that is provides a substantial, tight output with my Roland E-96 and A-70 boards (also use these with a Roland SC-880 sound module).

AND...it weighs less than 40 pounds!

I think I paid somewhere around $225 (US) new. It also has the three channels, with one dual input for mic or line.

I've thought about getting a second one to provide stereo. However, at that point it is more limited than the Rolands, because you can't tie them into a stereo mode and control from just the one amp.

I really like it, and would recommend it.

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#191029 - 11/30/00 10:08 PM Re: Peavey KB-300
Scottyee Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 12/01/99
Posts: 10427
Loc: San Francisco Bay Area, CA, US...
Ok all, I know I may get a lot of flack for saying this but my first keyboard/vocal amp was a Peavy KB100 and it really sucked. Yes, it was built rugged and was relatively cheap in price, but it "sounded" cheap too. I vowed never to buy another Peavy amp again. It seems like I got much better gigs the minute I switched to a higher quality amp. Bottom line: "Don't compromise on the sound".
- Scott

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 11-30-2000).]
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