keyboard through guitar amp

[stupidfatnugly]

if I were to do this, there would be some low frequency sounds that could blow the amp, correct?

anybody know which octaves I should avoid playing?

 

[Seafroggys]

anything less than E2 I would imagine. Or even A2.

 

[stevieb]

Blow the AMP? Not likely, would probably never happen. Blow the SPEAKER, yes, perhaps. But you are kidding yourself if you think you will not play the lower notes on your 'board. Get a keyboard amp. Or, if your board can split, perhaps you can assign lows to the left channel, highs to the right, and use a bass left and guitar amp right?

 

[dementedchord]

the hazard is to the speaker not the amp... cant give you an exact key to stay above cause it would obviously vary with the patch... but i would think anything under say 100hz should be avoided... if it's acombo maybe you could borrow another cab (closed back) longenough to cut the track...

 

[Seafroggys]

Well a low E on a guitar is about 82 hz, and most amps can handle downtuning and baritone guitars.

 

[dementedchord]

Well a low E on a guitar is about 82 hz, and most amps can handle downtuning and baritone guitars.

granted but where does it start to roll off and how steeply???

 

[stupidfatnugly]

thanks I just don't have money to spend on a keyboard amp with all the other stuff I need to buy

 

[DrewPeterson7]

Well a low E on a guitar is about 82 hz, and most amps can handle downtuning and baritone guitars.

Yeah, and a low B (I'm a seven stringer) comes in around 60hz, and for kicks I've tuned as low as an E BELOW standard tuning, with no problems.

I've heard a lot of rumours about this, but I don't know how far I buy it. At the VERY least, short periods at a moderate to low volume should be fine, since a guitar preamp and poweramp simply don't produce much of the frequencies likely to damage a speaker to begin with, and since a speaker can handle quite a lot until it's running pretty hard.

So, if you just want to do this for effect on a recording, for that "keyboard into a Marshall" sound, then you're probably safe.

If you're looking for a way to amplify your keyboard for a show, though, then I think it's less about whether or not you'll blow your amp, and more about how a guitar amp simply isn't full-frequency, so it's going to strongly color your sound. This may or may not be a good thing, but if you like the sound of your keyboard as-is, you're not likely to be happy.

 

[NYMorningstar]

thanks I just don't have money to spend on a keyboard amp with all the other stuff I need to buy

You have the best questions

Play away and don't worry about it!

 

[didgijimmy]

if u wanna check out a cool effect try the keyboard on a synth setting then running it to some type of high gain distortion pedal then to the amp. you get this kind of wavy synth that cuts out every tenth of a second. i recorded a hole song with it as a lead.

 

[mjbphotos]

Keep the volume low. Turning it up is just going to get so much distortion you won't be able to tell what sound you're using on the keys!

 

[SonicAlbert]

I don't think you are going to blow your amp or speaker no matter what frequency you play. That's more about volume, no matter what type of amp you are using. The guitar amp simply won't reproduce the keyboard sound very well, and is not stereo. In short, keyboards through guitar amps sound like #$%^.

Get a keyboard amp. Even a cheap one will be better than using a guitar amp.

 

[Mull]

Are you recording or just performing? When I record from my synth, I run direct into a project series pre amp also I do use an amp as a monitor. If you want an amp, you should check out some of Behringer's amps. I have a Behringer keyboard amp that's also suitable as a bass amp and has 4 channels so it can be used as a little PA.

 

[DrewPeterson7]

In short, keyboards through guitar amps sound like #$%^.

Though, sometimes that actually works really well. I think Trent Reznor is a fan of running synths through Marshall heads, as I recall.

Likewise, the Lesley that Hendrix used to such great effect was a keyboard speaker - by any conventional measure it was a pretty poor guitar cab, but it gave him the sound he was after.

 

[Seafroggys]

Also, Jon Lord ran his B-3 through Marshall stacks for a number of years, and it sure didn't sound like ass.

 

[RAMI]

Also, Jon Lord ran his B-3 through Marshall stacks for a number of years, and it sure didn't sound like ass.

Jon Lord is aptly named.

 

[MCI2424]

Also, Jon Lord ran his B-3 through Marshall stacks for a number of years, and it sure didn't sound like ass.

Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore knew Jim Marshall and had access to his factory and Jim personally. All their amps were one-offs and totally customized well beyond the stock product. I am not sure I would put a B3 through a stock Marshall stack as the B3 puts out a ton of energy even at low volumes.

 

[dementedchord]

as to whether you can use marshall stacks... sure if ya want the sound to be all mids basicly... again the problem is with open backed cabs... so 4-12 are ok... in fact bass amps work well... but the real problem is that i cn go lower than a bass... and higher than a cymbal... so really a small pa is whats needed...