Crate KX-40

[Lockheart]

What can you guys say about this amp ?

Someone is trying to sell it to me, and i NEED a Keyboard amp.

I just want to use it as a monitor in a bar i work, i have a Korg Trinity and a Roland XP-10

Your thoughts ?

[ChrisMcCoy]

I use a KX80 for live gigs and it's been really good to me.
The 40 will probably do the job for you.
How much is the asking price. I wouldn't pay more than 100.00 for it.
Chris

[Lockheart]

mmm.

1450 Mexican Pesos


Almost $130 US

[br0k3n mirrors]

I really don't recommend Crate. The reason that their prices are cheap is generally because their amps sound horrible. They might sound okay at low volumes and try to reel you in with some cool trinkets like built-in chromatic tuners, but when you start getting loud, the sound breaks up.

I recommond Peavey keyboard amps. I personally own a Peavey KB5 amp - it has two 10" speakers and a horn, 4 channels, an effects loop, and the sound is GREAT. It's loud, it's crystal clear, never breaks up, even when I crank the volume. (Not to mention JR uses them :D ) Perfect for gigs. Brand new these amps go for $500, I dunno how much they go for used.

Also, Roland makes some good keyboard amps, although I recommend Peavey over Roland due to the fact that Roland amps aren't built as sturdy and tough as Peaveys...There have been lots of bad reviews due to Roland screws and hardware coming loose during car trips resulting in problems with sound output. The sound may be okay at first, but they do tend to break up a little bit once you turn them up loud.

Overall, I definitely recommend a Peavey keyboard amp...especially the KB5. And I really DO NOT recommend a Crate. Ever.

Hope I helped.

-Matto

[Omega Monkey]

I dont know about Roland amps not being built well. I have had my Jazz Chorus 120 for like 7 years, used it A LOT (including transporting it in the back of a pickup twice a week for quite a while), and it was even RAINED on once, and aside from a blown transistor in the reverb unit, which I got fixed, it has always worked great and never given me problems at all. The only thing I dont like about it, is the way the speakers are mounted makes it basically impossible to remove/replace them, which I would like to replace them with JBL or EV speakers due the current ones sounding slightly "soggy" (with good reason obviously). But hell, even getting rained on, it still sounds awesome (and we are talking torrential summer downpour here, not a light sprinkle), I just prefer a bit more "bite" to my sound (and I would've wanted replace the speakers anyway).

Peaveys are fairly rugged, but then again they dont sound nearly as good as Rolands for the most part. If you could get something like a KC150 that would probably be your best bet. I wouldnt recommend the Crate, but mostly because if as I assume its 40W (probably with a 10" or maybe a 12") it wouldnt really have enough power, at least if you will be using it in a band situation. If you just want to play piano ballads with a singer, or play with a guitar player or something, then it would be fine. But Roland is better than Crate anyway for keyboard amps I think.