Impressive Small Amp

Posted by: Bill Lewis

Impressive Small Amp - 03/11/18 10:32 AM

The other night I sat in with a band looking to do something different by using a keyboard/bass combo player. I showed up at the large house for rehearsal and then looked at the long noarrow stairway up to the rehersal room. I had my JBL515xt in the car but it would of been cumbersome up and down those narrow stairs. They told me I could use a small bass amp they kept up there. OK I'll try it/
Peavey MAX 115. 15" w/horn, 300 watts in a compact cabinet. Set everything flat, no time to mess with it and we started. Tilted it back against a wall so I could hear better and I was impressed. Doing LH/bass and RH Hammond and Piano it really kicked and sounded good. I know a lot of you are off regualr amps anymore but thought I'd pass this along. For $300 you could even use it as a sub woofer with the added bass boost effect it includes. Gets a lot of positive reviews on different sites.
Posted by: Dnj

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/11/18 11:09 AM

https://peavey.com/products/index.cfm/item/659/118121
Posted by: Fran Carango

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/11/18 12:25 PM

Bill you know my thoughts about Keyboard amps compared to PA speakers..

Keyboard amps are designed for keyboards... you have a full range and no poor bass response (most PA's go down to 60}.. average keyboard amps down under 50..

As long as I still have wheels on my 70 pound keyboard amps , I will continue to use them,,

Still looking forward to a job I could use all four of mine... hasn't happened yet... two have been more than enough..
Posted by: Bill Lewis

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 12:07 PM

Fran
A super large airplane hanger size hall with about 3-500 people might call for 4 of those. I don't think you'll ever run into a situation where you would need more than two.
I like the feeling of power a good keyboard amp gives, especially the bass out of that little Peavey, but you still need something up in the air for vocals and to cover the room. and the weight, we're all trying to eliminate that.
Posted by: sparky589

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 01:11 PM

I'll use my Alto kick 15 once or twice a year for very small rooms, usually for instrumental only though it has 4 channels including xlr input. I added wheels. Has integrated kick back stand, 44 lbs, on board Alexis effects, bi-amped 200w continuous/400w peak.
Posted by: Bill Lewis

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 04:37 PM

I was looking at that amp a while ago and they discontinued it. The cloest thing is the Behringer KXD15. I'd like to have a 15" keyboard amp in case I run into another situation where I'm pushing LH ( or pedal ) bass. PA cabinet will do it but its really not the same.
Posted by: Dnj

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 04:51 PM

http://www.barbetta.com/
Posted by: Bill Lewis

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 05:12 PM

Donny

I think they're out of business. They were popular for a time.
Posted by: Dnj

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 05:22 PM

Didn't know that wow.... Maybe you could pic up a used one cheap.....
Posted by: DonM

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 05:24 PM

I think mine went from me to Hank, then maybe to Gary D. They were sure great in their time.
Posted by: sparky589

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 06:08 PM

I had a barbetta 41c. Lightweight. Bill- I may know where you can get an alto. Ill check into it if you like. Making a trip back to NJ anytime soon?
Posted by: travlin'easy

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 06:16 PM

I sold mine to Helmut Licht, who uses it for a monitor for his 17 piece big band. It was a great amp at the time, 450-watts RMS, 15-inch sub with a spider, and only 32 pounds, which at the time was very light. Then, I heard UD one night with his Bose L1 PAS, ordered one the next day and never looked back.

Gary cool
Posted by: DonM

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 07:19 PM

Originally Posted By DonM
I think mine went from me to Hank, then maybe to Gary D. They were sure great in their time.


I'm talking about the Barbettas.
Posted by: DonM

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/12/18 07:23 PM

BB (before Bose) and the line array gear, I used a LOT of Peavey gear. It was well built and sounded good, but the main reason was that the area Rep was a good friend and golfing buddy and he brought me all my stuff for free. He would occasionally bring clients into my club to let them hear the p.a. system.
Peavey sent a sound engineer down from Meridian to set my e.q.s and place speakers and monitors. Made me feel like a big deal!
For a short while they even had a Peavey arranger, which was a re-badged General Music model. It had some great innovative features and weighed a ton.
Posted by: Bill Lewis

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/13/18 03:44 PM

Originally Posted By sparky589
I had a barbetta 41c. Lightweight. Bill- I may know where you can get an alto. Ill check into it if you like. Making a trip back to NJ anytime soon?


Let me know the info on the Alto. Does it have sufficent power for strong bass ? No plans to come back to NJ anytime soon. Too damn many snowstorms !!!
Posted by: Bill Lewis

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/13/18 03:45 PM

Originally Posted By DonM
BB (before Bose) and the line array gear, I used a LOT of Peavey gear. It was well built and sounded good, but the main reason was that the area Rep was a good friend and golfing buddy and he brought me all my stuff for free. He would occasionally bring clients into my club to let them hear the p.a. system.
Peavey sent a sound engineer down from Meridian to set my e.q.s and place speakers and monitors. Made me feel like a big deal!
For a short while they even had a Peavey arranger, which was a re-badged General Music model. It had some great innovative features and weighed a ton.


Wish I had some friends like that ! Must be nice to have an expert give you tips on setting up your system.
Posted by: DonM

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/13/18 05:38 PM

It was. Unfortunately my friend died about 15 years ago. I got out of the nightclub business after 10 years and lost my clout with Peavey.
Posted by: sparky589

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/15/18 10:51 AM

Sent you a p.m. Used the Alto for small banquet room twice last year. Was good for that, restaurants, nursing homes, club houses. Small stuff or sideman work. Peabody bass amp may give you more bottom, but the effects and 35lb weight were the deciding factor for me. Outputs to main pa also.
Posted by: brickboo

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/15/18 11:52 AM

Originally Posted By DonM
It was. Unfortunately, my friend died about 15 years ago. I got out of the nightclub business after 10 years and lost my clout with Peavey.


Don, It's hard to believe it's been 15 years or more meeting Hank. Is the Willie Nelson friend still around. Geez, Drew was really impressed with all of you guys. He wasn't a chip off of the old block! The kid put Country on the radio at my bricklaying jobs all the time friend.
Posted by: DonM

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/15/18 01:35 PM

Boo, I was talking about my friend Paul Robinson, who worked for Peavey. Hank died in 2010. I still miss him every morning when the phone doesn't ring at 10:00 a.m.
Posted by: brickboo

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/15/18 02:32 PM

Originally Posted By DonM
Boo, I was talking about my friend Paul Robinson, who worked for Peavey. Hank died in 2010. I still miss him every morning when the phone doesn't ring at 10:00 a.m.


Don is the fellow who does Willie still with us, buddy?
Posted by: DonM

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/15/18 03:01 PM

He is. Raymond Logue. He doesn't get out much these days. I think he is hen-pecked. smile
Posted by: brickboo

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/15/18 03:05 PM

Originally Posted By DonM
He is. Raymond Logue. He doesn't get out much these days. I think he is hen-pecked. smile


Don, is he older than us too?
Posted by: DonM

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/15/18 03:32 PM

About the same I think.
Posted by: sparky589

Re: Impressive Small Amp - 03/15/18 06:32 PM

Another I had that I would recommend which is hard to find is a Polytone Taurus Elite. Polytone not making them anymore.