Question regarding amps

[cproctor]

Hi all!

Well, I've been playing with a praise band at my church and I haven't had to worry about amps, because I've been going thru the house and using a headset monitor, but now we're "going on the road" (ha ha) and I need to amp the drums. I know, or at least I've heard, that the Roland KC500 amps are the best for vdrums, but they're $500 a pop! I can afford to get one of them and just play mono, or perhaps a couple of KC300s. I guess I'd just like to get some feedback on what everyone is using. We're not going to be playing in churchs that are too large, so I don't know how much power I really need. Obviously, I want something that thumps, not a weenie sound that I got when the band tried hookin' me up to a couple of Fender amps!

Thanks!

Chris

[ADD]

I would go with a combo amp like the KC-500 or JBL G2. I started with a KC-500 and it worked fine for small gigs.
I eventually invested in a PA system and use my KC-500 for monitoring. I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 15" speaker and 150 watts. It just won't last you long.

[cproctor]

So, you think that one KC500 would work? I can't afford two right now. I was just afraid that a good sound wouldn't be there if it's not stereo.

Originally posted by ADD:
I would go with a combo amp like the KC-500 or JBL G2. I started with a KC-500 and it worked fine for small gigs.
I eventually invested in a PA system and use my KC-500 for monitoring. I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 15" speaker and 150 watts. It just won't last you long.

[ADD]

You won't need stereo if you are in a narrow room but it would be nice in a wide room.
If you need more than one KC-500 right now I would think about a PA. You could buy a 500-1000 watt power amp and one speaker and expand to two speakers when you get some more bank. Carvin has some decent stuff and you can buy direct.

[Boingo]

Originally posted by cproctor:
I was just afraid that a good sound wouldn't be there if it's not stereo.

I think you got good advice from ADD.

About stereo... Will need input from others to clarify, but it would seem that stereo is great for headphones and recording, but not necessarily for gigs. How much improvement will the house hear (other than sound quality you normally get with 300 watts vs 150 and two amps)? For special effect kits, yes; where you have limited speaker separation, maybe, but if your playing a large venue, do you really want the hi-hats to be on one side and the large tom to be on the other? I would think you'd have to pan everything close to the center to get any stereo benefit. I use the PA (with a KC500 as a monitor) so I'm not really not offering advice or stating facts - more like wondering aloud. Comments from experience anyone?

[cproctor]

Well, it sounds like I should go with a single KC500 for now. A PA would be awesome if I could afford it, but I think a KC500 would work ok for relatively small churches wouldn't it? If I go with that, should I set my pan settings all to the center?

Originally posted by Boingo:
I think you got good advice from ADD.

About stereo... Will need input from others to clarify, but it would seem that stereo is great for headphones and recording, but not necessarily for gigs. How much improvement will the house hear (other than sound quality you normally get with 300 watts vs 150 and two amps)? For special effect kits, yes; where you have limited speaker separation, maybe, but if your playing a large venue, do you really want the hi-hats to be on one side and the large tom to be on the other? I would think you'd have to pan everything close to the center to get any stereo benefit. I use the PA (with a KC500 as a monitor) so I'm not really not offering advice or stating facts - more like wondering aloud. Comments from experience anyone?

[ADD]

If you go out of one speaker I would set everything to center. The good thing about the KC-500 is you can use it as a monitor later on when you buy/use a PA.

[cproctor]

Well, that sounds like a good solution for now. Thanks for the input!

Originally posted by ADD:
If you go out of one speaker I would set everything to center. The good thing about the KC-500 is you can use it as a monitor later on when you buy/use a PA.

[Zilla]

Hey Chris,

I am just down the road from you by a couple of hours. I too play in a praise band as well as a pretty loud rock band and a very soft jazz band. Just went down this road about two months ago. After reading quite a few old threads here, I decided on the mackie SRM450. A little more in money but a unbelievable speaker. The rock gig has a very loud stage sound, yet at a recent practice, the bass player actually ask me to turn the speaker down a bit because it was blowing him away. I can then turn right around a play quiet jazz and praise music when needed. I can't tell how it compares to the KC500, but I am very happy with the mackie! Good luck.
Dan

[drmoze]

The KC500 will work OK but it is a 2-way single-amp monitor. I'd give the thumbs-up to the Eon G2, which you can get for about $550 or less delivered. Much better value than the KC500 for about the same price! It has 3 inputs (2 1/4", one balanced), with individual level controls and a 2-band equalizer. You can easily add a mike and/or a keyboard to the mix and have plenty of punch for the V's! Some folks had problems with the early G2's, but JBL identified the problem and claims that it's no longer an issue. I haven't had a glitch with my G2.

[cproctor]

Wow! Now I'm getting a lot of suggestions! ha ha. Forgive my amp ignorance, but is the Eon G2 an amp put out by JBL? Could I pick one up at Guitar Center? They have the KC500 for $459, which seems like a pretty good price. Hey, drmoze, are you playing with just one G2? Maybe I should go check them out!
Dan, you sure get around, huh? Praise band, rock band and jazz band!! Do you have a personal life? ha ha. Thanks for the input on the Mackie. I'm going to check them out too. Are you playing with two mackies or one?
I guess I've got some research ahead of me! Thanks for all the input guys. This site is really helpful.

Chris

[rudi-mint]

Chris:

One Mackie srm450 would be more than enough speaker for your situation. It is a great speaker, but it cost a bit more than the jbl g2. I think you will find that either will work great for you. IMO, I would buy the g2 before the kc500.

good luck
Kurt

[TomLandin]

My recommendation for you (being a praise band drummer myself), would be to find a used JBL EON 15PAK. I've seen them for $300-$400 on eBay these days. I have one and love it. When more money comes along, I'll move up to 2-JBL EON G2's or Mackie SRM450. The advantage of the JBL's over the KC500 (IMHO) is the weight and portability. Also the JBL fits really nice inside the rack right under the toms. If your group has it's own amps/mixer board, you might consider some used unpowered JBL EON 15's. Don't go with anything less than a 15" speaker (unless it's the Mackie SRM450). Good luck!

[Zilla]

<<Do you have a personal life? ha ha.>>

same question my wife asks.

<< Are you playing with two mackies or one?>>

i just use one mackie. that's all you need for anything until you get to a big enough areana to warrant full blown BIG PA. not that i wouldn't love to have the extra mackie.

[cproctor]

Well, guys, I went and checked out some amps today... I tried the KC500 and it was pretty bad! It sounded ok until I tried to crank it up, then it distorted real bad! I saw some Eon speakers, but its sounds like what you guys are talking about is an amp, right? I didn't see any g2s at all (I was at Guitar Center). I saw a catalog for Mackie there, but that was it. Is the makie srm450 powered or do I need to buy an amp also? One question I had was about the Roland PM3... the salesman was telling me that it's better than the KC500, is that true? I found it hard to believe because it's so small! Of course it wasn't plugged in, so I couldn't try it out. I'd really like someone to fill me in on the mackie and jbl. I think I want something that's powered...I haul enough as it is!! ha ha. Thanks guys!!

Chris